Butte Depot

Thirty years ago, Butte was still learning how to deal with the economic and social fallout that came with the fall of the Anaconda Company. A once bustling mining boomtown whose population had been well over 100,000 early in the twentieth century, by the 1990s it had fallen to just over 30,000. With the decline in population came urban blight. Many Uptown buildings, which once housed stores, offices and apartments were abandoned and lay dormant. The warehouse district was no exception. Right in the heart of the district is the once-bustling Great Northern Depot which was a hub of railway travel in Montana. For years it sat abandoned, although many would talk about the building's potential. But nobody took action. Until the Fisher Family came into the picture.

What does tourism mean to Butte? Well, just walk through the Uptown on any given Summer weekend and chances are pretty good that you're going to find some sort of festival or celebration going on and you'll definitely see a lot of out-of-state license plates. Head to a fishing access point or boat launch and chances are you'll be waiting your turn, as well. The winter brings a myriad of skiing and snowmobiling adventurers from across the globe to our neck of the woods and our area's natural splendor and inviting demeanor more often than not leads to repeat visitors. Tourism is a huge part of not only Butte's economy but of the entire state's as well, and it is with that in mind the Montana Chamber of Commerce is hosting their 2nd Annual Convergence Festival on May 21st and 22nd here in the Mining City.

Country star Morgan Evans will be performing in Butte at the Original Mineyard on Monday, July 3, before the fireworks.