Crossing the Continental Divide, you will find the City of Butte, the county seat of Silver Bow County.

Butte was the first major industrial city in Montana in the late nineteenth century. This was due in large part to copper and mining which provided huge employment opportunities.  This brought a lot of Asian and European immigrants.  As of 2017, Butte had the largest population of Irish Americans per capita of any city in the country.

Chinese immigrants also had a great deal of influence on the history of Butte. Many Chinese businesses were formed which created China town until the chamber of commerce and labor unions started to boycott Chinese owned businesses. The Chinese Exclusion Act was passed but many business owners fought back by suing the unions. Today the Mai Wah Museum documents the history of this movement.

Butte is full of colorful history as it became known as “a wide-open town where any vice was obtainable.” One of those “vices” that flourished was centered on Mercury Street which became known as the “Line” or “the Copper Block”, where the famous Venus Alley and Dumas Brothel were located. This red-light district was one of the last urban boroughs of its kind up until the Dumas Brother was closed in 1982.