Rossland is in the West Kootenay region of south central British Columbia . High in the Monashee Mountains , the city lies immediately east of the intersections of BC highways 3B and 22 . The facilities provide a winter base for the nearby multi-peak ski hills of the Red Mountain Resort . In the non-winter months Rossland is frequented by mountain bikers, with golf and fishing options nearby as well.
92-482: Rossland may refer to: Places [ edit ] Rossland, British Columbia , British Columbia, Canada Rossland City , provincial electoral district around Rossland, British Columbia (1903–1912) Rossland (electoral district) , provincial electoral district around Rossland, British Columbia (1916–1920) Rossland-Trail , provincial electoral district around Rossland, British Columbia (1924–1963) Rossland Range ,
184-404: A Democratic stronghold, owing to its union legacy. Likewise, Silver Bow County has historically been one of Montana's strongest Democratic bastions. In 1996, Haley Beaudry became the first Republican to represent Butte in the state legislature since 1950. In 2010, Max Yates was the next Butte Republican elected to the legislature; neither Beaudry nor Yates was reelected. In 2014, Butte became
276-528: A humid continental climate ( Koppen : Dfb) experiencing all four seasons. Summer days are usually warm with cool nights, while winters are cold with lows in the teens. The following people have received the Freedom of the City of Rossland. Butte, Montana Butte ( / b juː t / BEWT ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana , United States. In 1977,
368-506: A bedroom community for Trail. Highway improvements ended rail passenger service with Trail in 1936. However, the three times a week freight train continued. Frequency progressively reduced until the line was lifted in 1966. In 1951, CP rebuilt the original station, but this replacement was demolished in 1973. Formerly the only access was Highway 22, with Trail northeastward, and the US border southward. In 1964, Highway 3A opened northward, with paving
460-412: A blacksmith, a tinsmith, a cobbler, a customs agent, a baker, a land surveyor, a lawyer, two sawyers, two barbers, three doctors, four bartenders, four hoteliers, and a justice of the peace. Months later, strict John (Jack) Kirkup became the constable. A ten-passenger coach ran to Trail Creek Landing. Presbyterian, Methodist and Roman Catholic churches, and a school, were soon established. In January 1896,
552-565: A food inspector for Butte, and immediately began pressing for change to questionable practices by several county commissioners who had been keeping the community's cost of living artificially high by, among other things, allowing carloads of perishable foods to rot on unloaded trains at the railroad station. She also "was instrumental in getting senate bill No. 19 through the legislature" that year to ensure that 199 tubercular soldiers who had served in World War I would be given "preference of entry to
644-629: A former brothel, is in Venus Alley , Butte's former historical red-light district . Another notable site is the Rookwood Speakeasy, a prohibition-era speakeasy that features an underground city , and the Mai Wah Museum , dedicated to preserving Asian heritage in the Rocky Mountains. The 34-room Copper King Mansion in uptown Butte was constructed in 1884 by William A. Clark , one of
736-487: A mean maximum of 88.8 °F (31.6 °C), although the hottest day, reaching 100 °F (38 °C), was July 22, 1931. The coldest temperature recorded was −52 °F (−47 °C) on February 9, 1933, and December 23, 1983. As of the 2020 census , there were 34,494 people and 14,605 households residing in Butte-Silver Bow, giving a population density of 48.2 people per square mile (18.6 people/km ). Per
828-530: A patchwork of mines operated on the mountain, Le Roi Mining and Smelting Company was incorporated, and Topping sold his remaining interest for $ 30,000. Late the next year, a ferry across the river from the SF&N station at Northport, Washington connected with Oliver Durant's new wagon road from Red Mountain. A fleet of 40 wagons to Northport largely replaced the mule trains to Trail . That year, Bourjouis and Morris sold their Center Star and War Eagle mines, which with
920-417: A period of time in the 1990s the tap water was unsafe to drink due to poor filtration and decades-old wooden supply pipes. Efforts to improve the water supply have taken place in the early 2000s, with millions of dollars invested to upgrade water lines and repair infrastructure. Environmental research and cleanup efforts have contributed to the diversification of the local economy and signs of vitality, including
1012-686: A place where children and families could get away from the polluted air of the Butte mining industry." The city's rapid expansion was noted in an 1889 frontier survey: "Butte, Montana, fifteen years ago a small placer-mining village clinging to the mountain side, has now risen to the rank of the first mining camp of the world... [It] is now the most populous city of Montana, numbering twenty-five thousand active, enterprising, prosperous inhabitants." In 1888 alone, mining operations in Butte generated an "almost inconceivable" output of $ 23 million (equivalent to $ 779,955,556 in 2023) worth of ore. Copper ore mined from
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#17328439845661104-538: A renewed interest in restoring property in Uptown Butte's historic district, which expanded in 2006 to include parts of Anaconda and is one of the largest National Historic Landmark Districts in the U.S., with 5,991 contributing properties. A century after the era of intensive mining and smelting, environmental issues remain in areas around the city. Arsenic and heavy metals such as lead are found in high concentrations in some spots affected by old mining, and for
1196-430: A reputation as a wide-open town where any vice was obtainable. The city's saloon and red-light district, called the "Line" or "The Copper Block", centered on Mercury Street, where the elegant bordellos included the famous Dumas Brothel . Behind the brothel was the equally famous Venus Alley , where women plied their trade in small cubicles called "cribs." The red-light district brought miners and other men from all over
1288-544: A small electricity generator came on line, and was later upgraded. In 1898, West Kootenay Power became the supplier from Bonnington Falls dam. In March 1897, Rossland became a city. The eight doctors, 17 legal firms, and 42 saloons served an estimated 7,000 residents. This peak aligned with the 1901 census count of 6,000. A string of newspapers followed, the Rossland Miner being the most enduring. The fire of August 1902 consumed both sides of upper Spokane Street, leaving only
1380-737: A small mine named the Anaconda. He was a part-owner, mine manager and engineer of the Alice, a silver mine in Walkerville, a suburb of Butte. While working in the Alice, he noticed significant quantities of high-grade copper ore. Daly obtained permission to inspect nearby workings. After his employers, the Walker Brothers, refused to buy the Anaconda, Daly sold his interest in the Alice and bought it himself. He asked San Francisco mining magnate George Hearst for additional support. Hearst agreed to buy one-fourth of
1472-523: A soaring demand for the metal. After World War I , Butte's mining economy experienced a downward trend that continued throughout the 20th century, until mining operations ceased in 1985 with the closure of the Berkeley Pit. Over the course of its history, the city's mining operations generated over $ 48 billion worth of ore, making it for a time the richest city in the world. Much of the city's economy since 2000 has been focused in energy companies (such as
1564-815: A subrange of the Monashee Mountains of the Columbia Mountains in British Columbia, Canada Rossland, Pennsylvania , United States Rossland, Renfrewshire , Scotland Rossland, Norway , a village in Alver municipality in Vestland county, Norway Other uses [ edit ] Rossland (sternwheeler) , a sternwheel steamboat that ran on the Arrow Lakes in British Columbia Topics referred to by
1656-471: A television pilot titled Butteification aired on HGTV , which focused on a couple restoring a Victorian home in Butte. Butte's South district, at a lower elevation than the hillside that comprises northern Butte, has historically been home to working-class neighborhoods. Gold mines originally populated south Butte before it was platted for the Union Pacific Railroad in 1881. The expansion of
1748-707: A violent strike in Coeur d'Alene . Although the BMU was experiencing relatively friendly relations with local management, the events in Idaho were disturbing. The BMU not only sent thousands of dollars to support the Idaho miners, they mortgaged their buildings to send more. There was a growing concern that local unions were vulnerable to the power of Mine Owners' Associations like the one in Coeur d'Alene. In May 1893, about 40 delegates from northern hard-rock mining camps met in Butte and established
1840-535: Is 100% owned by WHY Resources . . The company received an offer in November 2017 for $ 750 million from Gryphon Enterprises, but the deal fell through. The project is at an advanced stage with plans to start an open-pit, low-volume magnesium mine in 2025. The town is serviced by the Trail BC airport. It is nearer to Spokane WA than Vancouver BC . Various historic buildings and facilities exist. These include: Rossland
1932-514: Is dedicated to preserving the town's history. The library was created in 1894 as "an antidote to the miners' proclivity for drinking, whoring, and gambling," designed to promote middle-class values and to promote an image of Butte as a cultivated city. Additionally, the Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives stores and provides public access to documents and artifacts from Butte's past. Several museums and attractions are dedicated to
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#17328439845662024-475: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Rossland, British Columbia The Sinixt First Nation called the Rossland area kEluwi'sst or kmarkn . As to the word meanings, suggestions have included an "important temporary camp" or "up in the hills" for the former, and "smooth top" for the latter, referring to Red Mountain. Once mining claims were staked,
2116-484: Is land and 0.57 sq mi (1.48 km ) (0.08%) is water. The city is on the U.S. Continental Divide . Every highway exiting Butte (except westbound I-90) crosses the Divide (eastbound I-90 via Homestake Pass; eastbound MT 2 via Pipestone Pass; northbound I-15 via Elk Park Pass and southbound I-15 via Deer Lodge Pass). The city was named for a nearby landform, Big Butte, by the early miners. Butte's urban landscape
2208-537: Is low and largely concentrated in the spring: the wettest month since precipitation records began in 1894 was June 1913, with 8.86 inches (225 mm), while no precipitation fell in September 1904. The wettest calendar year was 1909, with 20.55 inches (522 mm) and the driest was 2021, with 6.49 inches (165 mm). Snowfall is somewhat limited by dryness: the most in one month being 41.5 inches (1,050 mm) in May 1927 and
2300-530: Is not-for-profit. Seven Summits Centre for Learning blends online and traditional teaching styles to make an individualized high school alternative. The teaching structure is learner focused. This is done by teaching in small groups and allowing for extra alone study time in allocated spaces, or at home. Students are also required to complete volunteer hours and are given the option to partake in additional courses beyond their core structure if they wish to. This includes visiting experts who deliver workshops and talks at
2392-406: Is notable for including mining operations set within residential areas, visible in the form of various headframes throughout the city. The concentration of wealth in Butte due to its mining history resulted in unique and ornate architectural features among its homes and buildings, particularly in the uptown section. Uptown, named for its steep streets, is on a hillside on the northwestern edge of
2484-558: Is perhaps becoming most renowned for the regional Montana Folk Festival held on the second weekend in July. This event began its run in Butte as the National Folk Festival from 2008 to 2010 and in 2011 made the transition to a free-of-admission music festival. Also in the summer is Butte's Fourth of July Parade and Fireworks show. In 2008, Barack Obama spent the last Fourth of July before his presidency campaigning in Butte, taking in
2576-455: Is the oldest family-owned, continuously operating Chinese restaurant in the U.S. After the Berkeley Pit mining operation closed in 1982, pipes that pumped groundwater out of the pit were turned off, resulting in the pit slowly filling with groundwater, creating an artificial lake. Only two years later the pit was classified as a Superfund site and an environmental hazard site. The water in
2668-534: The Anaconda Road Massacre . Seventeen were shot in the back as they tried to flee, and one man died. Sparked by a tragic accident more than 2,000 feet (600 m) below the ground on June 8, 1917, a fire in the Granite Mountain mine shaft spewed flames, smoke, and poisonous gas through the labyrinth of tunnels including the connected Speculator Mine. A rescue effort commenced, but carbon monoxide
2760-740: The Berkeley Pit , which Anaconda Copper opened in 1954. When it opened, the Berkeley Pit was the largest truck-operated open pit copper mine in the nation. It grew until it began encroaching on the Columbia Gardens. After the Gardens caught fire and burned to the ground in November 1973, the Continental Pit was excavated on the former park site. In 1977, the ARCO (Atlantic Richfield Company) purchased Anaconda, and three years later started shutting down mines due to lower metal prices. In 1983, all mining in
2852-570: The Blessed Virgin Mary , dedicated to women and mothers everywhere, atop the Continental Divide . The statue was airlifted to the site on December 17, 1985, after six years of construction. Butte is also home to the U.S. High Altitude Speed Skating Center, an outdoor speed-skating rink used as a training location for World Cup skaters. Throughout uptown and western Butte are over ten underground mine headframes that are remnants from
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2944-571: The Butte Citizens Technical Environmental Committee was established in 1984. In the 21st century, efforts to interpret and preserve Butte's heritage are addressing both the town's historical significance and the continuing importance of mining to its economy and culture. The city's Uptown Historic District, on the National Register of Historic Places , is one of the largest National Historic Landmark Districts in
3036-609: The Butte, Montana labor riots of 1914 , and resulted in the loss of union recognition by the mine owners. After the dissolution of the Miners' Union, the Anaconda Company attempted to inaugurate programs aimed at enticing employees. A number of clashes between laborers, labor organizers, and the Anaconda Company ensued, including the 1917 lynching of IWW executive board officer Frank Little . In 1920, company mine guards gunned down strikers in
3128-709: The Continental Divide , positioned on the southwestern side of a large mass of granite known as the Boulder Batholith , which dates to the Cretaceous era. In 1874, William L. Farlin founded the Asteroid Mine (subsequently known as the Travona), which attracted a significant number of prospectors seeking gold and silver . The mines attracted workers from Cornwall (England), Ireland, Wales, Lebanon, Canada, Finland, Austria, Italy, China, Montenegro , Mexico, and more. In
3220-511: The Knights of Labor , and by 1886 the separate organizations came together to form the Silver Bow Trades and Labor Assembly, with 34 separate unions representing nearly all of the 6,000 workers around Butte. The BMU established branch unions in mining towns like Barker, Castle, Champion, Granite , and Neihart , and extended support to other mining camps hundreds of miles away. In 1892 there was
3312-563: The Renewable Energy Corporation and NorthWestern Energy ) and healthcare. In 2014, NorthWestern Energy constructed a $ 25-million facility in uptown. In 1977, Butte consolidated with Silver Bow County , becoming a consolidated city-county . It operates under a city-county government. The office of the mayor was eliminated. Mario Micone was the last mayor of Butte. In 1977, he became the first Chief Executive of Butte-Silver Bow County. Politically, Butte has historically been
3404-865: The Trail smelter arbitration (1938–1942) . After a delay over a US right-of-way, Corbin's Red Mountain–Northport railway, comprising the Red Mountain Railway (RMR) (BC section) and Columbia & Red Mountain Railway (C&RM) (WA section), opened in December 1896. The next year, Le Roi's contract to exclusively supply the Trail smelter expired. When Le Roi owners opened the Northport smelter in January 1898, competition further intensified. That March, Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) purchased
3496-822: The Western Federation of Miners (WFM), which sought to organize miners throughout the West. The Butte Miners' Union became Local Number One of the new WFM. The WFM won a strike in Cripple Creek, Colorado , the following year, but in 1896–97 lost another violent strike in Leadville, Colorado , prompting the Montana State Trades and Labor Council to issue a proclamation to organize a new Western labor federation along industrial lines . In 1899, Daly, William Rockefeller , Henry H. Rogers , and Thomas W. Lawson organized
3588-780: The "miner's church", scheduling masses around miners' shifting schedules. Historically, the St. Mary's section of Butte had a prominent population of Slavic and Finnish immigrants in addition to Irish before the mid-20th century. Butte has a cold semi-arid climate ( BSk ) under the Köppen Climate Classification . Winters are long and cold, January averaging 20.0 °F (−6.7 °C), with 30.9 nights falling below 0 °F (−18 °C) and 53.8 days failing to top freezing. Summers are short, with very warm days and chilly nights: July averages 63.6 °F (17.6 °C). Like most areas in this part of North America, annual precipitation
3680-477: The Amalgamated Copper Mining Company. Not long after, the company changed its name to Anaconda Copper Mining Company (ACM). Over the years, Anaconda was owned by assorted larger corporations. In the 1920s, it had a virtual monopoly over the mines in and around Butte. Between approximately 1900 and 1917, Butte also had a strong streak of Socialist politics, even electing Mayor Lewis Duncan on
3772-564: The Anaconda Company in the 1960s and 1970s eradicated some of Butte's historic neighborhoods, including the East Side, Dublin Gulch, Meaderville, and Chinatown . The St. Mary's section, which borders uptown to the east, comprised the Dublin Gulch (an enclave for Irish immigrants) and Corktown neighborhoods. It takes its name from the eponymous Roman Catholic parish within it, historically known as
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3864-399: The Anaconda Company to switch its focus in Butte from underground mining to open pit mining . Since the 1950s, five major developments in the city have occurred: the Anaconda's decision to begin open-pit mining in the mid-1950s, a series of fires in Butte's business district in the 1970s, a debate over whether to relocate the city's historic business district, a new civic leadership, and
3956-476: The Berkeley Pit was suspended. The same year, an organization of low-income and unemployed Butte residents formed to fight for jobs and environmental justice ; the Butte Community Union produced a detailed plan for community revitalization and won substantial benefits, including a Montana Supreme Court victory striking down as unconstitutional state elimination of welfare benefits. After mining ceased at
4048-782: The Berkeley Pit, water pumps in nearby mines were also shut down, which resulted in highly acidic water laced with toxic heavy metals filling up the pit. Anaconda ceased mining at the Continental Pit in 1983. Montana Resources LLP bought the property and reopened the Continental Pit in 1986. The company ceased mining in 2000, but resumed in 2003. From 1880 through 2005, the mines of the Butte district produced more than 9.6 million metric tons of copper, 2.1 million metric tons of zinc, 1.6 million metric tons of manganese, 381,000 metric tons of lead, 87,000 metric tons of molybdenum, 715 million troy ounces (22,200 t) of silver, and 2.9 million troy ounces (90 t) of gold. Fourteen headframes still remain over mine shafts in Butte, and
4140-466: The Butte mining district in 1910 alone totaled 284,000,000 pounds (129,000,000 kg); at the time, Butte was the largest producer of copper in North America and rivaled in worldwide metal production only by South Africa . The same year, in excess of 10,000,000 troy ounces (310,000 kg) of silver and 37,000 troy ounces (1,200 kg) of gold were also discovered. The amount of ore produced in
4232-636: The C&W and Trail smelter. That July, the Northern Pacific Railway (NP) acquired the RMR, C&RM, and Northport smelter. That August, British America Corporation completed its purchase of Le Roi holdings. Since miners did not own the land upon which their tents or shacks stood, many acquired freehold lots in town for permanent residences. In February 1895, the first edition of the Rossland Record listed
4324-463: The Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada (CM&S), a consortium comprising the smelter and several Red Mountain mines at Rossland, was formed. CP had a 54 per cent holding. In 1911, CM&S bought Le Roi mine, gaining a virtual monopoly over mountain ore. Under new owners, the Northport smelter worked part-time during World War I, permanently closing in 1921. Service frequency on
4416-543: The Galen hospital", and that the legislature would authorize $ 20,000 to build additional dormitories at the hospital to make that care possible since hospital admissions were already at capacity. In 1921, she became the first female prohibition inspector in the city. Disputes between miners' unions and companies continued through the 1920s and 1930s, with several strikes and protests, one of which lasted for ten months in 1921. On New Year's Eve 1922, protestors attempted to detonate
4508-625: The Hibernian Hall on Main Street with dynamite . Further industrial expansions included the arrival of the first mail plane in 1928, and in 1937, the city's streetcar system was dismantled and replaced by bus lines. After the 1920s, the ACM began to reduce its activities in Butte due to the labor-intensivity of underground mining, as well as competition from other mine holdings in South America. This led
4600-465: The Le Roi, produced 96 per cent of the mountain's 1,500,000 tons of ore to 1903. In 1893, an 3-metre (11 ft) wide wagon road was graded along Trail Creek, to win back traffic for Trail. The mountain output of 18,500 tons in 1894 increased ten-fold the next year. In June 1896, the first loaded ore train ran along the initial section of Heinze's Columbia and Western Railway (C&W) from Red Mountain to
4692-585: The Metal Mine Workers Union; about 15,000 workers abandoned their jobs in the disaster's wake. Between 1914 and 1920, the U.S. National Guard occupied Butte six times to restore civility. In 1917, copper production from the Butte mines peaked and steadily declined thereafter. By WWII, copper production from the ACM's holdings in Chuquicamata , Chile, far exceeded Butte's production. In 1919, women's rights activist Margaret Jane Steele Rozsa became
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#17328439845664784-604: The Socialist ticket in 1911, and again in 1913; Duncan was impeached in 1914 for neglecting duties after a bombing in the city's miners' hall in 1914. Butte also established itself as "one of the most solid union cities in America." After 1905, it became a hotbed of Industrial Workers of the World (IWW, or the "Wobblies") organizing. Rivalry between IWW supporters and the WFM locals culminated in
4876-522: The U.S., containing nearly 6,000 contributing properties. The city is also home to Montana Technological University , a public engineering and technical university. Before Butte's formal establishment in 1864, the area consisted of a mining camp that had developed in the early 1860s. The city is in the Silver Bow Creek Valley (or Summit Valley), a natural bowl sitting high in the Rockies straddling
4968-550: The US Census' 2019 American Community Survey , the racial makeup of the city was 94.3% White , 0.6% African American , 2.3% Native American , 0.8% Asian , 0.0% Pacific Islander , and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race accounted for 4.6% of the population. Of ethnic groups in Butte, the Irish make up a significant portion, with over one-quarter of the city's population claiming Irish descent, exceeding
5060-416: The apparent jump in the 1980 census was due to the city's consolidation with all of Silver Bow County except Walkerville . As a mining boom town, Butte's economy was historically powered by its copious mining operations. Silver and gold were initially the primary metals mined in Butte, but the abundance of copper in the area further invigorated the local economy with the advent of electricity, which created
5152-495: The area became known as Trail Creek camp, the creek name derived from the Dewdney Trail . The final naming acknowledged Ross Thompson, who preempted 160 acres in 1892. He subdivided the land into lots in 1894 to become the townsite of Thompson. A few months later, the name changed to Rossland. The postal authorities may have requested the amendment to avoid confusion with similarly named places. In July 1890, partners Joe Bourjouis and Joe Morris staked claims on Red Mountain, but
5244-408: The assays were disappointing. Since an individual could register only two claims, the pair paid the $ 2.50 per claim to register the Center Star, War Eagle, Idaho and Virginia. For $ 10, they gave their Le Wise claim to the Deputy Recorder of Mines, "Colonel" Eugene Sayre Topping, to register for himself as Le Roi. Leaving government service, Topping joined a Spokane syndicate that purchased 53 per cent of
5336-440: The centre. Beyond this, students are also expected to pursue fitness, and personal growth within the surrounding area, and are encouraged to go on all field trips offered. Seven Summits Centre for Learning blends this with supervised access to a full range of courses delivered in virtual online classrooms provided by Navigate Nides. Seven Summits Centre for Learning's motto is: "Creating Adventures in Learning." Rossland features
5428-453: The city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow . The city covers 718 square miles (1,860 km ), and, according to the 2020 census , has a population of 34,494, making it Montana's fifth-largest city . It is served by Bert Mooney Airport with airport code BTM. Established in 1864 as a mining camp in the northern Rocky Mountains on the Continental Divide , Butte experienced rapid development in
5520-480: The city earned it the nickname "The Richest Hill on Earth." With its large workforce of miners performing in physically dangerous conditions, Butte was the site of active labor union movements, and came to be known as "the Gibraltar of Unionism." By 1885, there were about 1,800 dues-paying members of a general union in Butte. That year the union reorganized as the Butte Miners' Union (BMU), spinning off all non-miners to separate craft unions . Some of these joined
5612-423: The city still contains thousands of historic commercial and residential buildings from the boom times, which, especially in Uptown, give it an old-fashioned appearance, with many commercial buildings not fully occupied; according to a 2016 estimate, there were "hundreds" of unoccupied buildings in Butte, resulting in an ordinance to keep record of owners. Preservation efforts of the city's historic buildings began in
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#17328439845665704-438: The city's mining history, including the MBMG Mineral Museum (on the Montana Tech campus), and the World Museum of Mining, at the Orphan Girl mine in uptown Butte, which features "Hell Roarin' Gulch", a mockup of a frontier mining town. The Berkeley Pit , a gigantic former open pit copper mine, is also open to the public for viewing. Other museums are dedicated to preserving cultural elements of Butte: The Dumas Brothel museum ,
5796-417: The city's three Copper Kings . The mansion functions as a bed-and-breakfast and local museum, and is often reported to be haunted . The Art Chateau, at one time home to Clark's son, Charles, was designed in the image of a French château , and houses the Butte-Silver Bow Arts Foundation. Above Butte on the northeast edge of the city is the Our Lady of the Rockies statue, a 90-foot (27 m) statue of
5888-404: The course of its history, Butte's mining and smelting operations generated more than $ 48 billion worth of ore , but also resulted in numerous environmental implications for the city: The upper Clark Fork River , with headwaters at Butte, is the largest Superfund site in the nation, and the city is also home to the Berkeley Pit . In the late 20th century, the EPA instated cleanup efforts, and
5980-409: The deceased began; many of the bodies were mutilated beyond recognition, leaving many unidentified. The disaster claimed a total of 168 lives. As of 2017, the event remained the largest hard rock mining accident in history. The Granite Mountain Memorial in Butte commemorates those who died in the accident. Protests and strikes began after the Speculator Mine disaster, as well as the establishment of
6072-431: The end of copper mining in 1983. In response, Butte looked for ways to diversify the economy and provide employment. The legacy of over a century of environmental degradation has, for example, produced some jobs. Environmental cleanup in Butte, designated a Superfund site, has employed hundreds of people. Thousands of homes were destroyed in the Meaderville suburb and surrounding areas, McQueen and East Butte, to excavate
6164-416: The ethnic neighborhoods, young men formed gangs to protect their territory and socialize into adult life, including the Irish of Dublin Gulch, the Eastern Europeans of the McQueen Addition, and the Italians of Meaderville. Among the migrants were many Chinese who set up businesses that created a Chinatown in Butte. The Chinese migrations stopped in 1882 with the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act . There
6256-561: The following year. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Rossland had a population of 4,140 living in 1,803 of its 2,075 total private dwellings, a change of 11% from its 2016 population of 3,729. With a land area of 59.72 km (23.06 sq mi), it had a population density of 69.3/km (179.5/sq mi) in 2021. According to the 2021 census , religious groups in Rossland included: The attraction of Red Mountain Resort brings thousands of tourists to Rossland. The Record Ridge South mining property
6348-408: The greatest depth on the ground 27 inches (690 mm) on December 28 and 29, 1996. The coldest month was January 1937, with a daily mean temperature of −5.5 °F (−20.8 °C), while the coldest complete winter was 1948–49, with a three-month mean of 6.69 °F (−14.06 °C), and the mildest 1925–26, which averaged 29.21 °F (−1.55 °C). July 2007 was easily the hottest month, with
6440-440: The introduction of a multimillion-dollar polysilicon manufacturing plant nearby in the 1990s. In the late 1990s, Butte was recognized as an All-America City and as one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Dozen Distinctive Destinations in 2002. According to the United States Census Bureau , Butte-Silver Bow has an area of 716.82 sq mi (1,856.55 km ), of which 716.25 sq mi (1,855.07 km )
6532-432: The late 1990s. As with many industrial cities, tourism and services, especially health care (Butte's St. James Hospital has Southwest Montana's only major trauma center), are rising as primary employers, as well as industrial-sector private companies. Many areas of the city, especially those near the old mines, show signs of urban blight, but a recent influx of investors and an aggressive campaign to remedy blight has led to
6624-476: The late 19th century, and was Montana's first major industrial city. In its heyday between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was one of the largest copper boom towns in the American West . Employment opportunities in the mines attracted surges of Asian and European immigrants, particularly the Irish ; as of 2017, Butte has the largest population of Irish Americans per capita of any U.S. city. Butte
6716-451: The locally brewed lagers, bocks, and other types of beer. In the late 19th century, copper was in great demand because of new technologies such as electric power that required the use of copper. Industrial magnates fought for control of Butte's mining wealth. These " Copper Kings " were William A. Clark , Marcus Daly , James Andrew Murray and F. Augustus Heinze . The Anaconda Copper Mining Company began in 1881 when Marcus Daly bought
6808-401: The median income for a household in the city was $ 45,797, and 17.3% of families were below the poverty line . Some sources say that Butte had a peak population of nearly 100,000 around 1920, but no documentation corroborates this, though it has been reasoned by local journalists based on city directory data. The city's population sank to a minimum around 1990 and has stabilized since then;
6900-587: The mines on Butte Hill. Between 1884 and 1888, W. A. Clark constructed the Copper King Mansion in Butte, which became his second residence from his home in New York City . In 1899, he also purchased the Columbia Gardens , a small park he developed into an amusement park , featuring a pavilion, roller coaster, and a lake for swimming and canoeing. Clark's expansion of the park was intended to "provide
6992-435: The new company's stock without visiting the site. While mining the silver left in his mine, huge deposits of copper were soon developed and Daly became a copper magnate. When surrounding silver mines "played out" and closed, Daly quietly bought up the neighboring mines, forming a mining company. He built a smelter at Anaconda, Montana (a company town), and connected it to Butte by railway. Anaconda Company eventually owned all
7084-713: The old International Hotel standing. A December 1905 explosion wrecked roofs and shattered windows. The fires of January 1927, and March 1929, levelled the wooden buildings of Columbia Street. Depleting mines, World War I , and the Great Depression shrank the population. Industrial disputes, strikes and lockouts plagued the mines. Whenever possible, mine owners substituted non-union labour. Militant unions achieved an 8-hour workday in 1899, and protection of unions and their members in subsequent years. Collapsing copper prices, making mine operations unviable, compelled workers to trade job security for wage rollbacks in 1907. In 1906,
7176-485: The parade led by the Ancient Order of Hibernians . Also, local descendants of Finnish Americans celebrate St. Urho's Day every year on March 16. A larger annual celebration is Evel Knievel Days, held on the last weekend of July, celebrating Evel Knievel (a Butte native). The weekend-long event, held in Uptown Butte, features various stunt performances, sporting competitions, fundraisers, and live music. Butte
7268-616: The parade with his family, and celebrating his daughter Malia Obama 's 10th birthday. Butte's legacy of immigrants lives on in the form of various local cuisine, including the Cornish pasty , popularized by mine workers who needed something easy to eat in the mines, the povitica —a Slavic nut bread pastry which is a holiday favorite sold in many supermarkets and bakeries in Butte —and the boneless porkchop sandwich. The Pekin Noodle Parlor in Uptown
7360-504: The percentage of Irish Americans in Boston . Per capita, Butte has the highest percentage of Irish Americans of any city in the United States. Per the 2019 American Community Survey, the average household size was 2.24 persons, 6.0% of the population is under the age of 5, 20.1% under the age of 18, and 18.7% are 65 years of age or older. 49.3% of residents were female. From 2015 to 2019,
7452-599: The property from him for $ 16,000 that November. The following spring, several tons of ore went by mule down the mountain and along the Dewdney Trail to Trail Creek Landing at the creek mouth. Following boat transport to Little Dalles, Washington, the Spokane Falls and Northern Railway (SF&N), and connecting lines, railed the product to the Colorado Smelting and Mining Company Works at Butte, Montana . During 1891,
7544-488: The railway line to Northport diminished during this period, with the last run in July 1921, and abandonment the next year. When Le Roi mine closed in 1929, big ore trains ceased on the CP Rossland–Trail section. About 60 independent properties remained in operation on the mountain. In 1933, 10,000 tons were extracted, reducing to 335 tons in 1937. World War II ended mining on the mountain. By then, Rossland had become
7636-598: The region and remained open until 1982 after the closure of the Dumas Brothel; the city's red-light was one of the last such urban districts in the country. Commercial breweries first opened in Butte in the 1870s, and were a staple of the city's early economy; they were usually run by German immigrants, including Leopold Schmidt, Henry Mueller, and Henry Muntzer. The breweries were always staffed by union workers. Most ethnic groups in Butte, from Germans and Irish to Italians and various Eastern Europeans, including children, enjoyed
7728-451: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Rossland . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rossland&oldid=962252756 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
7820-575: The third city in Montana to pass an anti- discrimination ordinance protecting LGBT residents and visitors from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations. Butte is home to numerous museums and other educational institutions chronicling its history. In 2002, Butte was one of only 12 U.S. towns to be named a Distinctive Destination by the National Trust for Historic Preservation . The Butte Silver Bow Public Library, at 226 W. Broadway,
7912-517: The town and characterized by its abundance of lavish Victorian homes and Queen Anne style cottages built in the late 19th century. Several of Butte's " painted ladies " homes were featured in Elizabeth Pomada's 1987 book Daughters of Painted Ladies . Butte-Silver Bow County has an established Urban Revitalization Agency that works to improve building façades to "enhance and promote the architectural resources of historic uptown Butte." In 2017,
8004-1160: The town's mining industry. These include the Anselmo, the Steward, the Original, the Travona, the Belmont, the Kelly, the Mountain Con, the Lexington, the Bell/Diamond, the Granite Mountain, and the Badger. As part of a community project started around 2004, several headframes were repainted and outlined with LED lights which are illuminated at night. Butte's longstanding Irish Catholic community (the largest per capita of any U.S. city) has been celebrated annually on St. Patrick's Day since 1882. Each year, about 30,000 revelers converge on Butte's Uptown district to enjoy
8096-501: Was also the site of various historical events involving its mining industry and active labor unions and socialist politics, the most famous of which was the labor riot of 1914 . Despite the dominance of the Anaconda Copper Mining Company , Butte was never a company town . Other major events in the city's history include the 1917 Speculator Mine disaster , the largest hard rock mining disaster in world history. Over
8188-453: Was anti-Chinese sentiment in the 1870s and onward due to the white settlers' racism, exacerbated by economic depression, and in 1895, the chamber of commerce and labor unions started a boycott of Chinese-owned businesses. The business owners fought back by suing the unions and won. The history of the Chinese migrants in Butte is documented in the Mai Wah Museum . The influx of miners gave Butte
8280-415: Was contaminating the air supply. Several men barricaded themselves against bulkheads to save their lives, but many others died in a panic to try to escape. Rescue workers set up a fan to prevent the fire from spreading. This worked for a short time, but when the rescuers tried to use water, it evaporated, creating steam that burned those trying to escape. Once the fire had been extinguished, recovery of
8372-518: Was home to CHLI-FM , Rossland Radio Co-op, an internet-based community radio station which was granted, a low-power FM license with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) at 101.1 FM but went off the air in 2013. Rossland is served by two newspapers. One is The Rossland Telegraph , an online-only paper, founded in August 2008. In July 2010 the "Rossland News"
8464-479: Was opened and is both online and currently distributes 1,200 papers throughout the town. School District 20 Kootenay-Columbia operates public schools in Rossland. The Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique operates one Francophone school: école des Sept-sommets primary school. Seven Summits Centre for Learning opened in Fall 2013, a high school option for education grades 8–12 in Rossland which
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