Content warning: This content is intended for mature audiences. This article discusses topics of death and suicide. Please read with caution. Intro: Thais Giroux was noted as the first bubble dancer and referred to as one of the first fan dancers. Thais was even compared to Sally Rand. Thais Giroux was a little girl who … More The Bubble Dancer – Thais Giroux
Butte residents have long enjoyed drive-in movie theaters, but when did the first drive-in movie theater open in Butte? The announcement of the first drive-in theaters first appeared in the Montana Standard on March 5, 1950[1]. This announcement included plans for two theaters to be built in Butte by R. F. Wilmert. The first was … More History of Drive-In Movie Theaters
On July 6th, 1907, the board of County Commissioners met regarding a petition requesting steps to prevent the flow of water that floods alleyways during the spring. The commissioners concluded that they had no control over the elements. Fast forward to 1908. Throughout May, participation reached levels that had not been seen in 28 years. … More The Storm of June 1908
“God Bless Every One, Is Spirit of Butte Christmas.” So proclaimed a small headline in the Christmas Day edition of The Butte Miner. Nature helped Butte deck for the feast on Christmas Eve “with a mantle of snow that obliterated its scars and blemishes like a veil. Temperatures several degrees warmer than the usual Christmas … More The Spirit of Butte Christmas
This year as we celebrate the 19th amendment, providing women equal voting rights, we’re highlighting collections relating to the suffrage movement and women in politics. Immediately came to my mind a donation the Butte Archives received in 2017 of a speech given by Jeannette Rankin at the Columbia Gardens on August 18, 1917. The speech … More America’s First Congresswoman Visits Butte
At 9 o’clock on Monday, October 25, 1920, the quiet lobby of the Montana Hotel in Anaconda became peopled with a crowd of strange beings. Fairies, fireflies, dancers, gnomes, tall cavaliers and ladies from a different time, soldiers, sailors, clowns and jesters all mingled together in a hearty good time. It was the opening of … More Halloween A Century Ago
The Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives first opened on September 20, 1980 in Fire Station Number 1. Since then it has become home to many tremendous documents of Butte’s history, from newspapers to death and birth records to personal collections to the Anaconda Company records to the C. Owen Smithers Photography Collection. Over the years, artifacts … More When Butte Believed in the Archives
During the current pandemic, the Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives will be sharing stories of good deeds, inspiring citizens and community togetherness to uplift Butte. Caroline McGill was born in Ohio in 1879. McGill attended and graduated with the first doctoral degree awarded to a woman from the University of Missouri. McGill then moved to Butte … More Dr. Caroline McGill
As demonstrated in Butte’s past, our community is once again coming together in its time of need. Whether it is donating food to those in need, ordering food from a restaurant, supporting a local small business to holding a birthday parade for children who aren’t allowed to celebrate their birthday with friends, to visiting a … More Joshers’ Club
Butte’s first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in 1882. That year 800 Hibernians – the Irish fraternal organization – marched from Walkerville to Butte in -30 degree temperatures. The usual celebrations centered around a parade, Mass, and perhaps a banquet or ball. Enjoyed by all, these activities were not merely joyous social gatherings. In … More St. Patrick’s Day
Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives 