Butte Montana & Bozeman Travel Information

Just west of Bozeman lies the former mining town of Butte, Montana. To get to Butte from Bozeman, head west on I-90. There is an airport in Butte that is served by Delta, Horizon, Northwest, and Sky West Airlines. Flights to major US cities and other regional towns are offered daily. Butte is also accessible by the Greyhound Bus Line that connects many Montana towns. Rental car agencies are also abundant and ready to outfit you and your family with the perfect vehicle for your Montana adventures.

Butte was founded as a mining town in the late 1800s. As the gold got harder to find, many people left Butte. Silver mining kept the town alive. What made Butte prosper was the discovery of the largest deposit of copper ever found. This copper deposit was found at the end of the 1870s. By that time, the engineers of Butte had developed advanced smelting technology that made it profitable to extract the copper and other minerals. Adding to Butte's prosperity was the arrival of the railroads. The railroads made it affordable to ship minerals to the east.

The riches in Butte attracted miners and workers from all over the world. By 1920, Irish, Finns, Italians, Welsh, Cornish, Chinese, Serbs, and others all inhabited the town. The population at that time grew to about 100,000 residents.

Today, Butte is home to many unique attractions that are sure to spark the curiosity of any traveler. If you want to learn more about the history of this fascinating town, Old No.1 Trolley Tours is an excellent option. The tour lasts about 2 hours and takes you around town in a fast-moving trolley car. The Berkeley Pit is another interesting site. It is a 1,700-foot-deep hole that was created over a 30 year period. The Pit was dug in order to mine ore. At one point the Berkeley Pit was the largest truck-operated open-pit copper mine in the US. After the Pit shut down in 1982, it slowly filled with highly acidic water. One day the water will be cleaned at a treatment plant. For now, it is a huge toxic lake.

There are a lot of outdoor recreation opportunities around Butte. Go fishing in the Big Hole River or take a hike in the Highland Mountains. In the winter there is skiing in Discovery Basin. There are also a lot of scenic drives that take you through old ranching towns. Whatever you do, you won't want to forget your camera.