Butte was actually just an overnight resting spot for us, but I found it fascinating. Extensive copper mining left the huge scar known as Berkeley Pit (right). Contaminated with acid from the mining, the water level in Berkeley Pit continues to rise and poses a serious environmental threat to the area's water supply. The Berkeley Pit Education Committee has a great website with current info about the water problem, a lot of pictures and a history of the pit.

In our search for some of David's family history (his mother was born in Butte) we encountered some wonderfully helpful people at the Butte Chamber of Commerce. They provide a great "cable-car" tour of the historic buildings downtown. The town clearly suffered when the Anaconda Mining Company pulled out, and at first it was a little depressing. But they're putting a huge community effort into restoring downtown Butte, and they've done a great job so far. So I don't know why I didn't take any non-mining pictures of Butte -- except for the mines, the area really is pretty. Have a look at CopperCity.com for some really attractive views of Butte.