They call it a museum, but it’s really a mine plus an ersatz mining town: The World Museum of Mining in Butte, Montana. They offer underground mine tours which we skipped. There is plenty to see without going underground.
This is the site of the Orphan Girl mine where copper and molybdenum were mined into the 1950s. There is now a huge open pit mine north of town, It’s more economical than underground mining.
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- The small museum had many minatures.
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- In the museum.
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- Part of the town.
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- Print shop with lead letters.
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- One of the many business.
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- There was an additional charge for hot water.
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- Model of the headframe. Miners called it the gallows since death could be near.
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- The actual headframe.
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- Hoists in the hoist house. Used to lower miners and bring up ore.
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- Cages for descending into the mine.
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- The cages went down 2,780 feet. This model of the shafts was used in litigation about the mine.
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- An array of explosive holes.
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- There were lots of warnings about the fuse.
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- This was like Kay’s uniform back in the day. Even the cap.
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- The hoists and compressors were driven by electric motors but there was not much to see in the way of controls.
