Yellowstone-Montana Loop 2013: The Butte Connection

Paula and I took our morning jaunt down the road, enjoying the local scenery and delicious smells of the fresh country air. Then, when hiking back to the house, we heard the bugling sound of a male elk coming from the top of the hill behind Matt's property. I decided to hike up there with camera but to no avail. I saw only the rear end of a very large female elk disappear through the trees before I could get the camera set up to shoot. I'll listen again tomorrow for that wonderful, haunting sound. In the afternoon we drove to Butte along Hwy 90, the main artery running west to east through central Montana. Butte is about two hours east of Missoula. It's the city of copper mining fame that was once described as the biggest city west of Chicago, where there were more brothels than churches. The famous "red light district" was the biggest in the U.S. during the 1920's where miners from all over the world worked in the miles of mine shafts below the city that had a population of 60,000. Today it has hit hard economic times. Matt taught here at the Montana Technological University for three years and returned for a showing of his photography during the monthly Friday night "Arts Alive" event.