Butte Montana is a bit of a hit or miss. You love it or you hate it.
It’s flaws are easy to pick out. It’s a century old mining town that is heavily scarred from strip mining. And it’s a bit rough as many of the buildings in Butte have been abandoned. Meaning that roofs and walls start to cave in, but even with all that working against it, it’s historical charm is everywhere.
In the 1920’s, Butte hosted as many as 100,000 residents compared to it’s ~35,000 today. Meaning that sometimes walking downtown can feel like a bit of a ghost town. The Upper District was built after a fire in the late 1800s burned through the entire city. New legislation deemed that stone and brick were only what buildings could be made of and is part of what makes Butte so unique.
After my first visit to Butte I was dying to get back and take some street style photos. The buildings are often lined with copper (the metal that really put Butte on the map) and the houses showcase beautiful Victorian architecture – making for such fun backdrops. Even while we were walking around we couldn’t help but think of San Francisco with how steep the hills are and how cute the houses are.
We choose to stay in the Finlen hotel and kept gawking at the chandelier and marble decorated hotel. The rooms are old, but big so if history your a history buff you will love it!
Butte Montana probably won’t ever become a tourist destination. But it is such a unique town if you are driving through Montana I absolutely suggest stopping by for a couple of hours!
Whether you take the trolley around town, explore the notorious speakeasies and brothels (yep they have it all!) or simply drive around the Upper District you’ll quickly fall for the historically rich little town.
Exploring Butte, Montana
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