Make time to see the World Museum of Mining
Mining made Butte, Montana. Now you can see exhibits of the equipment and faces of the brave hard rock miners who worked and died in the mines at the World Museum of Mining.
So how much mining was going on in Butte? In 1896, just a five square mile section of the earth was producing 210 million pounds of copper a year! This was over 25% of the world’s copper supply and over 50% of the United States’. Over 8,000 men worked these mines, with a payroll equivalent to nearly 44 million a month in 2015 dollars! Because gold and silver was mixed in with the copper, these metals were also being extracted at the tune of over 500 million dollars a year in today’s dollar… and this was just a side line operation!
Wait until you look at the picture of a somber eighteen-year-old miner from 1919, photographed while working deep underground. The museum does an outstanding job of showing the technical and human demands that was required to work the mines. On this tour we focused on the dozens of exhibits in the open air. There is so much more to see underground and in comfortable buildings. Make it a point to visit the Museum. Our personal favorite was the “Underground Exhibit.” While exploring the world-class exhibit, the thought kept returning: “My God, is this what my Walkerville Grandfather and other miners had to do six days a week?” See the museum for yourself and see if it doesn’t give you a deeper appreciation for being alive in the 21st century.
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