The History of the Granite Memorial in Butte, Montana
According to the website ButteAmerica, the Granite Mountain Memorial Overlook in Butte, Montana pays homage to America's most deadly hard rock mining disaster, which occurred on June 8th, 1917 and claimed the lives of 168 men. Also known as the Spec Fire Disaster, the memorial overlooks the Continental Divide and Summit Valley, and consists of personalized plaques and bricks that memorialize the horrific 1917 event.
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The Copper Rush
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In 1917, there were nearly 14,500 miners working the extensive copper mines owned by North Butte Mining Company. Known as "the Richest Hill on Earth," the mines in Butte turned the city into a metropolis that rivaled a steel mill city, but the work was far more dangerous. World War I brought even more need for copper, and the extensive underground mining led to round-the-clock mining in rotating shifts. This, in addition to numerous labor disputes and mining accidents, led to the June 1917 disaster and its aftermath, according to the website ButteAmerica.
The Fire
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The Granite Mountain Mine fire, or the Spec Fire Disaster as it was later called, was caused by Ernest Sullau, who had been an assistant foreman for the North Butte Mining Company. The night of June 8th, 1917, Sullau descended to the 2,400-foot level to check on an electrical cable that had fallen, and a particle of paraffin paper accidentally touched a part of the cable that was frayed. The fire and choking smoke spread throughout the neighboring mines quickly due to the mine's well-ventilated shafts, causing 168 men to die from smoke inhalation or flames.
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Reaction to the Disaster
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The community of Butte responded to the fire with great empathy for the families of the miners. According to the ButteAmerica website, the entire town stopped to mourn the losses, with most business immediately closed and many events canceled. A newspaper ad from the town's major department store, Hennessey's, provided free funeral clothing for widows who could otherwise not afford the clothing. Two weeks were spent extracting the bodies, while telegrams from loved ones poured in from all over the country to find out which miners had perished.
Rumors
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While the city mourned the miners killed in the fire, rumors spread that the fire had been intentionally started by Foreman Sullau, who was a German and may have started the fire as a war-time act. The more prominent rumor in the town speculated that the North Butte Mining Company had been at fault, as certain escape routes had been previously cemented by the company to keep miners from exiting the mines while on duty. Rumors such as these led to civil unrest in the town of Butte, with various strikes by labor unions, the declaration of martial law and even murders of local organizers and protest strikers.
The Memorial
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Dedicated in 1996, the Granite Mountain Overlook Memorial was financed in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, which supplied a $50,000 grant for the construction, as well as the Atlantic Richfield Corporation, who owned the property. Over 1,200 brick grids were sold to donors, who inscribed messages to honor the victims of the fire. The monument, which is on Main Street in Butte, also contains plaques that help tell visitors the story of the Spec Fire Disaster.
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References
- Photo Credit butte montmartre image by Xavier MARCHANT from Fotolia.com
