Page:Leaves of Knowledge.djvu/79

 CHAPTER IX.

Butte and Anaconda.

Many people were first attracted to Butte in the sixties, on account of its placer mines; then in 1875 it became noted for its quartz mines of gold and silver, and with increasing depth the mines developed valuable copper deposits. They are now producing 13,000 tons per day, and furnish employment to about 15,000 men, with a payroll of over one million and a half dollars a month.

People are surprised on visiting Butte, expecting to find a mining camp; instead they find a metropolitan city, with well-paved streets and massive steel business structures. You will find as well equipped stores here as in New York City. I will not attempt to lead you through the beautiful fields of