Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives – A Walk Through Butte’s History

The Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives requested funds to develop a permanent and portable exhibit using 100 iconic items associated with Butte’s past and present. MHF funds helped pay for costs associated with the design and implementation of this large exhibit. The project will provide ready access via an exhibit to iconic events, sites, and themes that define Butte, such as mining headframes, Our Lady of the Rockies, Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church, an example of the Freeway Tavern’s signature dish Wop Chop, and immigration records from the 2nd District Court of Montana.

The goals of the project are to increase the participation of the Archives in heritage tourism and public education by highlighting significant people, objects, ideas, and events unique to the Butte community. “100 Objects” will make the Archives’ collections more accessible to the public and will assist educators in teaching Butte’s significant contributions to local, state, and national history.