in a dry and barren landscape which made farming difficult (Vichorek 15-17).

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1 Emily Palmer Anth 410 May 8, 2012 Final ERP Gold Butte was located in the Sweet Grass Hills of northern Montana. It was close to 40 miles from the Canadian border and 23 miles east of Sunburst Montana. Gold Butte was located in a dry and barren landscape which made farming difficult (Vichorek 15-17). The town of Gold Butte was a thriving mining town in the late 1800 s which was located in Toole County in the Sweet Grass Hills of Northern Montana. Gold Butte attracted many mining prospectors and their families from surrounding areas in Montana along with people from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Washington, Iowa, Nebraska, North and South Dakota and Canada ( Echoes From The Prairies ). Gold Butte consisted of a school house, which was moved multiple times, a post office, a hotel, a general store, a saloon, and a livery. Today nothing is left of Gold Butte except for the Gold Butte Cemetery. I am proposing an archaeological excavation of Gold Butte to better understand settlement patterns and the residents who previously resided there. Since none of the buildings are still standing, locating each building at the time of occupation will be important. Other important questions will be the function of each building, dates of when each building was built and how long it was in use for, also the dates of when each building stopped being used and why. It is important to know how each building was torn down and why, be it natural or intentional. Proposed Methodology The methodologies that will be most helpful in the reconstruction of Gold Butte will involve interviewing any living previous residents of Gold Butte along with relatives of previous 1

2 residents. Gold Butte was most populated during the time of Reviewing government archives and census records from these years will aid in the understanding of who lived in Gold Butte at the time. Archaeological excavation of where the buildings were recorded as being will be an important part of the research. Qualitative research will be the most efficient method to use for this project (Berg and Lune ). Interviewing individuals of relatives who had once lived in Gold Butte or in surrounding areas will be most helpful. Interviewing should not be completely structured but should be focused on getting informants to tell stories or memories that they have acquired from relatives or on their own about Gold Butte. Proposed Literature Review There are multiple different pieces of literature that have been done on similar projects. These similar excavations and research projects have been on mining towns around the world. Eldorado! The Archaeology of Gold Mining in the Far North is a good source that will help the understanding of settlement patterns in mining towns, historical structures in mining landscapes and ecological understandings. This book focuses on Northern Alaskan mining towns that were populated in the same time period that Gold Butte was. Producing a Gold Rush: National Ambitions and the Northern Rocky Mountains is an article by Kent Curtis which contains helpful information about the gold rush in Montana. Involving the start of multiple mining camps, how they were settled and what attracted prospectors. This will be helpful in understanding of how and why people first settled in Montana and how they began prospecting for gold. This article can also help understand why people were attracted to Gold Butte and possibly understand the settlement pattern what mining camps in Montana were like. 2

3 Proposed Methodologies The focus of this project is on finding material culture related to residents of Gold Butte and also on the settlement pattern of the town. Gold Butte was abandoned in 1945 and all buildings that were once there have been destroyed. Some of the questions that will be answered by this project are where buildings were located, their proximity to each other, their functions and whether they were commercial buildings or residential spaces. Methods used to aid this project include archival research which will include historical research of census records, mining records and the review of state maps from the time period of 1890 to Qualitative methods such as interviews (Berg and Lune ) and historical analysis will help better the understanding of the population and demographics that resided in Gold Butte. Archival Research Archival research will involve the review of any public records, Montana State maps, census records, and annual reports from mining companies in Montana. The method of mapping this area will involve reviewing and understanding maps of the area during the time period of 1890 to Also mapping the areas of what is now present day Gold Butte to get a better understanding of the landscape and environment. This will aid the project by giving an understanding of the geographical region that Gold Butte was located in. Residents of Gold Butte will be found by looking at books such as the Echoes From The Prairies where there is a full list and family history of the people who moved to Gold Butte during the mining boom. Also Montana State Census Records which will be accessed through: 1. University of Idaho Library 2. University of Montana Library 3

4 3. Toole County Historical Society 4. Montana Historical Society. In reviewing these sources there will be a better understanding of Gold Butte s history and the people who lived there. Questions Since the town of Gold Butte was completely abandoned in 1945 the questions that will be answered through archival research include: 1. What is the history of Gold Butte including, what were the initial reasons for inhabitance and how long was the town inhabited? Also what was the reason for abandonment, and when the town was fully abandoned and how the buildings were demolished? 2. What were the demographics of the area, including what were the gender ratios, ages, ethnicity and race of people living in Gold Butte? 3. What did Gold Butte provide to the mining industry of Montana? 4. What types of resources were being mined? 5. How much did Gold Butte contribute to the mining industry of Montana? 6. What was the settlement pattern and structure of the town including what buildings were commercial or residential, where buildings were located in relation to each other and what were their main functions? Historical Research Doing historical research on Gold Butte is helpful to get a full understanding of what was there while it was inhabited. Also researching other mining towns in Montana from that same time period will help with the understanding of how Gold Butte may have been structured and the settlement patterns that were popular. There are very few written pieces on Gold Butte so 4

5 understanding the social structure of other mining towns during the time period and in similar areas will help better understand the structure that Gold Butte had. Gold Butte was located in a part of Montana that was not heavily populated because of the environment. Harsh winds, dry grounds and a barren land scape made farming difficult (Vichorek 15-17) so Gold Butte was primarily populated by mining prospectors and their families. There were a few farmers who had moved into the area after Gold Butte had been established as a town but for the majority mining was the only industry ("Echoes From The Prairies" ). Knowing the majority of the population s occupation was part of the mining industry it will be useful to understand the material culture that is found during the reconstruction. During archaeological excavation it will be helpful to be aware of the types of material cultures that are found at the site should be in association with other mining sites and communities. Qualitative Research There is very little information on where each building in Gold Butte was located. There is very little evidence that there was ever a town there at all. Most of the records of the town include old pictures, stories and memories from people who had either lived there, had relatives that had lived there or had visited. This is where surveys and interviews will be performed. Human consent letters and IRB forms for individuals involved with this research project. These forms will clearly state the intentions of the information that will be obtained and collected during interviews. Interviews and surveys will help aid the project to better understand where certain building were located, what their functions were and who was associated with them. When it comes to interviewing informants a semi structured informal interviewing technique (Berg and Lune ) will be the most effective way to receive information. Why 5

6 this will be most effective is because the wording of questions can be flexible and can change regarding what information will be recorded during the interview (Berg and Lune ). Also being able to change the language that will be used during the interview to better fit the informants will be important for the understanding of questions asked and the understanding of answers (Berg and Lune ). Being able to add and delete questions that will be asked during the interview will be helpful in case a new question arises from an answer that the informant gave. Some questions my change depending on what information is obtained from the answers that the informants are giving. Using a semi standardized technique (Berg and Lune ) will allow conversation and stories to emerge with informants leading me to more detailed answers of how Gold Butte was structured. Some interview questions that would be asked are: 1. What is your relationship with the town of Gold Butte Montana? 2. Have you ever been to Gold Butte? If yes, when was the last time? 3. What do you remember about your times spent in Gold Butte? 4. Did/do you have any relatives who lived in Gold Butte? 5. Did you know anyone who worked in the Mines in Gold Butte? There are multiple types of interviewing techniques such as probing and dramaturgical interviewing techniques (Berg and Lune ). These can be used to get more information out of informants (Berg and Lune ). Probing can be useful to get more complex answers from informants which can lead to a better understanding of the answers to questions Historical Content The first gold prospecting in the state of Montana took place in 1862 near the Deer Lodge Valley (Curtis ). It was in 1884 when mining practices began in the Sweet Grass Hills of 6

7 Montana (Department of Environmental Quality 2009). A group of 4 prospectors, Marion Carey, Fred Derwent, George Walters and John Des Champ traveled to the Sweet Grass Hills, camped and prospected on the east side of the Middle Butte and discovered gold (Wolle ). The next year Joe Kipp, Charley Thomas, Hi Upham, and about ten others came to the camp and located claims in the area (Department of Environmental Quality 2009). From that point on the mining camp was formed. At one point Gold Butte had approximately people living there. Gold Butte was surrounded by three buttes, West butte, Middle butte and East butte where mining took place. The town of Gold Butte was located to the south of the Middle Butte and between two gulches. These gulches were named Two Bit and Eclipse gulch which both produced gold. Mining The focus at Gold Butte was the production of placer gold which was most heavily found on the Middle Butte (Department of Environmental Quality 2009) The Eclipse Gulch, located on the Middle Butte, had the most placer gold production in the area. Mines were located on the west side of the Middle Butte and near the top which was somewhat unusual for the area (Department of Environmental Quality 2009). In 1887 Ore was reported being found on the West Butte. During the time of production in Gold Butte the mines were owned by the Gold Butte Mining Company, Deep Ground Mining Operation and the Eclipse Gulch Mining Company (Department of Environmental Quality 2009). Population and Decline Gold Butte was most heavily populated between the years of 1888 and 1898 when placer mining was at its highest level of production. There were approximately miners and their families living in and around Gold Butte at this point (Department of Environmental 7

8 Quality 2009). The production of placer gold declined drastically after In 1922 the production of placer gold picked up in Gold Butte once again but did not last long the rush was over by 1925, but then made a short comeback in the year 1935 (Department of Environmental Quality 2009). Between the years 1910 to 1920 the population in Toole County dropped from about 16,000 people to about 6,140 people. This was thought to be because of the dry farming areas in Montana that made it hard for homesteaders to stay in the area (Vichorek, 15-17). Settlement Patterns In Gold Butte there was a hotel, a general store, a livery barn, a post office and a saloon. These were all owned by Anthony Fey Sr. who had moved to Gold Butte in 1892 with his family ("Echoes From The Prairies" ). The general store that was owned by the Fey family was closed in either 1938 or The Gold Butte Hotel was still open and in operation in The post office was opened in 1895 by Peter Hughes and officially closed in 1945 ("Echoes From The Prairies" ). All supplies that were taken to Gold Butte were transported for the convenience of the miners. Everything that came was transported by a horse and buggy and came from either Chester or Shelby Montana which are around 50 miles from where Gold Butte was located (Department of Environmental Quality 2009). Schools The School that was located in Gold Butte changed locations on multiple occasions. The first school was a log cabin that was built in 1895 there were no library books, blackboards, globes or maps. It was in 1900 when the school was bought by the Deep Ground Mining Company and moved down into the Deep Ground Coulee ( Echoes From The Prairies ). In 1908 half a mile north of Gold Butte a new school was built. In 1919 or 1920 the school had 8

9 burned down to the ground and new school was built on the same site. In 1941 the school was moved once again down the Miners Coulee ("Echoes From The Prairies" ). Cemeteries Gold Butte is thought to have the oldest cemetery in any of the surrounding areas of Montana. The cemetery was placed high on a hill overlooking the small town. The cemetery was moved at one time to a place across the coulee that was thought to be a prettier site but ended up being located on a spring so it was moved back to its original location (Murphy). The cemetery was said to have about forty graves. The oldest grave that is dated in the Gold Butte cemetery is that of Aleth Simmons and is dated back to 1885 ("Echoes From The Prairies" ). Theoretical Approaches Multiple theoretical frameworks will help orient this project. Cultural Ecology, Behavioral Archaeology and Economic Archaeology will be most helpful theories in the archaeology and mining in Gold Butte, Montana. The following is a discussion of these theoretical applications in my research. These different theories all apply to the better understanding of Gold Butte Montana. Cultural ecology addresses how humans react with their physical environments. Julian Stewards work with cultural ecology proposed methods of looking at how human culture reacted with its environment. This will help when approaching questions regarding the settlement of Gold Butte and looking at how people who lived there reacted with the environment that they lived in. Gold Buttes existence was dependent on the environment that it was located in. The purpose for the settlement was mining of placer gold in the three Buttes that surround Gold Butte. This theory is one of the most important to look at while doing this project because the whole town of Gold Butte existed upon the environment and the resources that were extracted 9

10 while the town was populated. If for some reason the environment changed and the resources that Gold Butte were relied on were no long available it would change the purpose and existence of the town. It is important to look how the change of environment affects the people that rely on its resources. This theoretical approach will be helpful to this research in understanding if the population decrease was due to a change in the environment regarding the mines in the area. Michael B. Schiffer s works on Behavioral Archaeology will be a relevant theoretical approach that will be referred to during this project. It is a relevant approach due to the studies of how human behavior is affected by material culture. Anything that is recovered at the Gold Butte site will give insight to the way people lived in Gold Butte. The material culture that is found can help identify the culture that resided in Gold Butte. It will help aid the understanding of day to day life in Gold Butte including working in the mines, taking care of land and the general operation of the stores and commercial buildings in Gold Butte. Looking at the material culture and their relations to the people that once had been in contact with them will give a better understanding of what the conditions of living were like and settlement patterns of how the town of Gold Butte was laid out. By also looking at the relationship between the material culture and its location it will help to understand what recreational activities people in Gold Butte participated in. The theory of economic archaeology will be discussed in this project during research and the excavation. Economic archaeology will help better understand how the town of Gold Butte and the people that lived there dealt with economic resources that were available to them. This will be an important way to understand how residents of Gold Butte used their economic resources. Looking at economic resources and the cultural material that is involved with it can represent social classes and struggles within a society, this is very similar with a Marxist view. 10

11 When looking at the availability of resources that Gold Butte had it will help the understanding of the fast incline and decline of the population. The economic resources that were available to residents of Gold Butte will help determine the settlement patterns that Gold Butte held. Knowing that the most important economic resource was placer gold mining will aid the research project into knowing that mining most likely provided work to many of the residents in Gold Butte. Mining most likely also paid for all outsourced goods that were brought to Gold Butte. The culture in Gold Butte was very dependent and relied heavily on mining practices. If something happened to the town s economic resource, mining, the town would lose all revenue and resources and would soon become abandoned. These three theoretical approaches will be most beneficial to help aid the understanding of the Gold Butte site in Northern Montana. These approaches will help understand the reason for inhabitance, the settlement patterns that developed and the reason why it was abandoned. 11

12 Works Cited: Vichorek, Daniel N. Montana's Homestead Era. 53. Helena, Montana: Montana Magazine, Print. Wolle, Muriel. Montana Pay Dirt. Denver: Sage Books, Print. Echoes From The Prairies. Shelby Montana: The Shelby Promoter, Print. "DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY." Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) - 200tech. Web. 09 Apr < De Groote, Karen. "Toole County, Montana." RootsWeb.com Home Page. 30 Mar Web. 09 Apr < Murphy, Sherrie. "Cool Things to See and Do in Toole County MT Sherrie Murphy Says, Visit Us in Toole County Montana and Have Cool Time!" Cool Things to See and Do in Toole County MT. Web. 09 Apr < Curtis, Kent. "Producing a Gold Rush: National Ambitions and the Northern Rocky Mountains " Western History Association (2009): Web. 1 May Shelby History Group of the Montana Institute of the Arts, comp. Shelby Backgrounds Print. Knapp, A. Bernard, and Vincent Pigott. "The Archaeology of Anthropology of Mining: Social Approaches to an Industrial Past." The University of Chicago Press 38.2 (1997): Print. Hassan, Fekri A. "Archaeology: Demographic Archaeology." American Anthropologist 1 (1978): Print Berg, Bruce L., and Howard Lune. Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences. 8. Pearson, Print. 12

13 Prospective Budget for Gold Butte Montana Excavation Cost for Field season from June 3 to July Equipment Supplies Backhoe Operator 4days) $1,200 Total Station Survey Machine $9,000 Screens, Shovels, Trowels, etc. $ 900 Total: $ 900 Personnel Crew Chief 160 hr) $1,920 Laboratory Assistant 300 hr) $2,700 Lab Manager 200 hr) $2,200 Total: $6,820 Travel Lodging (15 people/ 20 Travel Days) Supplies (Food Storage, Cookers) $500 Food (15 people/ $650 per week) $3,250 Transportation ( 2 20 days) $4,160 Total: $7,910 Grand Total: $22,020 Time Line Archaeological Excavation June 3 to July 5 of 2013 Artifact Cataloging and Processing August to May of 2014 Final Report Submission June/October