Butte Thoughts

Arnica growing in the Lime Kilns area south of Butte.

Butte...a special place. The lovely Highland Mountains to our south and the urban sprawl of uptown Butte to our north. What a juxtaposition. Here is what I love about Butte so far:

Pekin Noodle Parlor in Downtown Butte.

No chain restaurants! Seriously, this is a independent thinker's and eater's town. The one aberration is the single McDonalds in the "flats." Instead we have Pekin Parlor, which is a second story Chinese restaurant. Each table is in a 4 foot x 5 foot "closet" that used to room miners between shifts. Or Muzz & Stan's Freeway Diner, which advertises Liquor to Go! Or Lydia's, a straight from 1960s red velvet supper club that offers ravioli, sweet potato salad, spaghetti, green salad, and more with your steak order. (Not a choice, but all the sides are included and come on a gigantic round wheely type tray.)

View of the Highland Mtns.

The mountains, so close and so wild. The Highlands just to our south may have snow until July every year. I hiked in an area called Lime Kilns that crosses the Continental Divide Trail (the longest trail in the U.S.). We saw many elk prints and grassy balds. The views were amazing. And just 30 minutes from my house! By the way, Keith and I saw a moose and her calf on Saturday wandering aimlessly through a neighborhood near where we hiked last Saturday. Our first close encounter of the animal kind!


Finally, what I love about Butte:

History. Butte's history is gritty, rough and the people here are real and down to earth because of that history. This was a town of gambling, prostitution (the last brothel was closed in 1988!), hard drinking, unions, and long winters. I say was, but in a way Butte still is this town. The urban center (on the hill) is not too different from inner city Pittsburgh or Detroit. And with just nearly 34,000 residents, Butte is the 4th largest city in the state. The gritty exterior houses some of the most interesting jewels, just a scratch below the surface. There is Front Street Grocery, which carries the best in gourmet non-perishables and wine and rivals The Fresh Market or Byerly's in selection (I'm not joking here). Judging a book by its cover would make me miss out on all the interesting and lovely parts of town. My favorite new fabric store is in a falling down grey house. I almost didn't go in because it looked so derelict from the outside. But inside was an amazing selection of fabrics. I could go on and on. But I won't.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTING IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT BUTTE:

PBS' show Independent Lens is showing the documentary Butte, America, which highlights the dusty, hard living and historical town that was once the largest copper mining city in America. I believe the premiere is October 20th, but check your local listings.

Views of the Highland Mountains: Lime Kilns trail that includes a small section of the Continental Divide Trail.

Poor Lucy after our Lime Kilns hike. She got into a fight with a stick in the woods. Dog heaven.

Keith with Rick Bass, a wonderful fiction and nonfiction writer who lives most of the year in the Yaak Valley of N.W. Montana (of Ted Kazinski fame). We met him last week at a reading at the University of Western Montana in Dillon and picked up his book Why I Came West. He is a former geologist who worked in the oil fields in Mississippi. The Yaak Valley is 4000 feet below Butte (Butte is about 5200 elevation and the Yaak is 1200) and interestingly enough a warm, rainforest area of MT on the Canadian border.