As a Montanan I am used to the Berkeley pit being a part of our history. But for anyone from the outside it really has to be a strange tourist attraction. For us it's a reminder of what happens when we allow corporations to plunder our resources without limits.
One of the reasons I have watched your channel and have continued to for the past 9 years is your sense of humor. Yes its a serious subject but life can be depressing enough without a sense of humor so thank you for having your approach to places like this .
I heard Jim Rome interview Evel years ago. Evel said he thought he had a 50/50 chance of living through the Snake River Canyon jump. When Jim asked him, "If you knew there was a 50% chance you would die, what made you go through with it?" Evel said, "Do you know who the hell I am?"
'Wonderful' report on Butte! My dad worked in the mines as a 'powder man' when it was still an underground operation after WWII. Once he graduated from the Butte School of Mines through the GI Bill; he simply walked off the job, having had enough of the dangerous mining life, and went to work for the state of MT until retiring. Butte has thousands of good stories; thanks so much for telling this one!
One of my closest friends was born in Butte, Montana. His dad worked at the mine’s for a few years before coming to Washington state. He has some great stories about growing up in Butte, part of a large Irish, Catholic family. Let’s just say it was a wild place for any adult or young man to grow up in!
Let's not pity poor ARCO too much. Their environmental history with fossil fuels means they had to know there were serious problems with the Anaconda copper mine at Butte before they bought it. They might have been caught by surprise when the Nixon administration birthed the EPA, but they're a big corporation with lots of contingency funds money for lawyers and lobbyists, so maybe they weren't surprised at all...
You girls be careful out there with this bad storm approaching. Stock up on extra food and water and be safe. Prayers for you and all your friends out there for protection. Jesus is there for you when you need Him.❤️
SARAH: Please keep tuned to the weather, and get yourself home before the hurricane hits. This is no joke - There is a reasonably good chance you may see record flooding/flashflooding all throughout your area out there this weekend. This is not like other storms. This is serious. Please be safe and do not venture out until the storm has passed. No amount of 4WD will save you from getting washed from a flooded roadway. Be safe! Take care!
The photo on Robbie’s marker is him jumping a tributary at the Grand Canyon, over 220 feet. He succeeded, though it wasn’t actually across the canyon, which at its narrowest is 600 feet in Marble canyon and averages 10 miles across.
Sarah, Mike Rowe of "Dirty Jobs" did a episode on Butte and the team of people that ward off migrating birds from the toxic pool. Property liability laws and hazardous materials clean up is a sore subject with a lot of people. The purchase a piece of property not knowing or understanding what work took place there. Somewhere along the way, someone complains about the dust coating their car, has the dust analyzed, and the rest is history. I looked at some acreage located close to a landfill. As a condition of the sale, I wanted to know if the liner at the landfill was leaking possibly contaminating the ground water that I'd be using from a well. The results of the test drilling didn't go well, so I walked away. Deep pockets is all you need to know.
Superfund means the Federal tax payer is footing the bill. The 1877 Mining Law confers no responsibility on the mine company. It is up to the states to hold them responsible which few do. Typically the company will get all they want then declare bankruptcy and walk away. Particularly favored by Canadian companies. They just go back to Canada with the loot and are untouchable. The sites are permanently polluted. It can be abated but never eliminated. The Federal tax payer also pays for coal miners black lung disease as the companies won't. This is part of the 33 trillion dollar Federal deficit. Socialism for the rich, capitalism for the poor.
@@rogersmith7396 LoL, I hear the ghost of Evel Knievel is running for President in 2024. I'll leave off the rest of the rant, Feds should have added 1 cent tax to electricity usage to pay for the S-funds, because we wouldn't be in the age of electricity or internet without all this reckless mining & industry. Same can be said of EVs today.Lather, Rinse & Repeat.
@@rogersmith7396not all super fund clean up is paid by tax payers. Burlington northern railroad has a super fund site in Livingston Montana. They are liable for the cleanup.
@@drbassface I feel sorry for the young musicians these days. They have no clue what they missed, from the late 60’s through the mid 90’s. I made a good living, traveled the world and had more adventure than one could possibly imagine. 😜
@@paulnicolosi4792 Yeah Paul! Me too! 1981-85 I played in a couple Showbands across the country, including Atlantic City, Aruba, and even Saudi Arabia. Then moved and gigged in Vegas. Then played music at Disney World. Fulltime for 14 years at Epcot. Still play part time at EPCOT , Candlelight Pricessional. The traveling years were amazing, as you know. Free lodging. Lot’s of girls to meet. And then there was the music too! We were blessed! Cheers
Geeze , I drove through the place in the early 1980s on the way to trout fishing elsewhere in Montana. Butte looked like even the ghosts had left, It was so desolate and decayed. But many mining towns in the west had the same fate. Boom and Bust then artists and tourists.
Be careful this weekend out in death Valley that hurricane is hitting the coast is expected to come all the way as far as St. George Utah and they’re saying death Valley can get as much is 8+ inches of rain within a couple hours. This is going to be a storm like we’ve never seen. So please either get out of death Valley or make sure you guys have lots of supplies just in case you have to hunker down. Be safe out there.❤
Thank you for taking us along for a tour of Butte, Montana! It was an interesting visit. I did learn something new today about the historic town. I too remember Evel Knivel for his stunts on his motorcycle but did not know of his son! You did a great vlog during your visit. You should have visited the oldest, and continuously operating, Chinese restaurant in America, The Pekin Noodle House, which is in Butte - an interest sight on Main Street, Butte, MT. Looking forward to your next adventure vlog. Best wishes and regards! Stay safe and awesome! 😀🤙
Don't forget Pork Chop John's and the Bonanza Freeze! I love the Pekin! I'm originally from Montana and my Dad has lived in Butte since 1980. I currently live down in the desert near Wonderhussy!
I had the opportunity to meet my childhood hero Evel. He was exceptionally genteel and kind. We now know more about CTE and its impact on behavior. He also had a rough upbringing. Casting stones....ya know...glass houses.
I have worked in your country for 35 years, most states & I'm re-tired now & have learn't more about your country's history than I did working there, you are like history's investigative reporter, great vids !
Thank you Sara for respects to Evil and Robbie, it's nice to know Robbie is beside his father, Robbie followed his father's footsteps and jumped at Caesars Palace and then jumped the Grand Canyon he has 20 world records and I can watch all their jumps on you tube.
Hi, Sarah.., ( Wonderhussy Adventures )..., My town... "Welcome to historical Uptown Butte, Montana." Excellent video and very informative and "Thank you" for sharing the video... You are always ( Welcome ) in historic Uptown Butte, Montana... Come back on our famous "Saint Patrick's Day" ☘🍺and I will give you..., your $5.00 back, and with a sense of humor 😊🤣and I am buying the ( cold beer 🍺🍻) in the many "Old Wild West Saloons " in historic Uptown Butte, with beautiful wooden back bars, built in the mid and late 1800s ! ! You will love the Irish dancing and Irish live music, parade, and fireworks 🎆 ! ! No bumper-to-bumper traffic... Montana has more cattle and horses, than people... * Sarah..., "You are always ( Welcome ) in historic Uptown Butte, Montana ! !" "Sarah..., you are bright, intelligent, and attractive." "Semper Fi" Michael Sean O'Brien in historic Uptown Butte, Montana. Or simply known as; Mike in Montana 😊🍺😘 P.S.: Little bit "Irish"..., ☘🤣🍺
I used be a flight attendant and we had summer layovers in Butte. That town knows how to have fun! That and we went fishing and got grayling somewhere around there. We stashed our catches in the wheel wells of the plane and they'd be nicely frozen by the time we got home and the co pilot retrieved our fish. Would have been fun to have you along!
I was just in Butte performing for a folk festival there in July! Something about that town that I loved so much… can’t wait to visit again and explore!
Well you called him an anti-hero Wonderhussy but i think you were actually paying tribute to one of America's legends. There will never be anyone quite like Robert.Thank you.
He spelled it evel to match the last 4 letters of his last name. 😊. His son jumped the Grand Canyon. Robbie Knievel had three daughters, Krysten, Karmen, and Maria. He also had two grandchildren, Analise and Kane. He died from pancreatic cancer in Reno, Nevada, on January 13, 2023, at age 60.
Actually, after the Snake Canyon jump, Evel became more religious and straightened out his life putting most of his energy into his Son's Career. Robby died of pancreatic cancer.
Your hard work on your UA-cam channel is much appreciated. You are an amazing storyteller and I am particularly taken with your extensive vocabulary. Go Wonderhussy go
You are correct. I used to work as a core driller underground in mines near Butte (Born and raised there by the way). Hauled many core boxes to the surface. Toughest job I ever had.
I have several friends from Montana. The impression I get from them is that Butte is kind of a sketchy and odd, a town that tends to get looked down on. I've been to Butte a few times, I like the place, actually. My Navy roommate is from Butte, he's got some stories!
This conclusion to the Evel Knievel history is hilarious ! I've been through Butte numerous times delivering cars there and up through to Grand Falls, etc. So Its interesting to get the story on the Mine ! Thank Your Wonder Hussy ! PS get a much bigger Solar Generator ! I have a 2000 watt and a 5000 watt Bluetti wi th 800 satts of panels on the road with luxury camp kitchen of course the essential refrigerator, and it is still scary if I use too much power or get out of the sunbelt . So restorative to watch you, makes me feel fine, your a real Wonder !
Butte also has the old is continuously operated Chinese restaurant in the country and a lot of the improvements that you’ve seen in the city are because they filmed the television series there. 1923 with Harrison Ford a spinoff from Yellowstone
W A Clark the Butte Copper King has a huge mansion in Butte that is worth checking out. He later built a mansion in New York City comprising a whole city block with its own under ground railway.
I remember visiting the Berkeley Pit in 80 or 81 and seeing dead birds. It's too bad it took nearly 40 years for them to figure out a way to deter birds. I'm glad they are finally doing it though. Better late than never.
Great town. I enjoyed the old down town section great architecture. Lots of labor history was made there too. Damn girl you can spin a good yarn. Love it!
I noticed my family name on that memorial. Another coincidence is the year 1917 was the year my dad was born - his mother dying the year after in the flu pandemic. Also WH, your intro to the mine made me think of the Joni Mitchell lyrics in Big Yellow Taxi: "They took all the trees put 'em in a tree museum And they charged the people a dollar an' a half just to see 'em" Reminder to WH: despite the similarities, Berkley Pit is NOT a hot spring! 😆
I have been to Butte several times and I absolutely love the place. The old downtown area contains hundreds of historic houses, apartments, churches and commercial buildings that it is a historian's dream. I was fortunate enough to be there when they were filming " 1918" and got to see parts of the downtown area made up to be as it was in 1918. This is one place that I would love to live in except for one thing. WINTER ! It gets way cold there for many months. I was most recently there on July 6-7 on the way to Wisconsin. Maybe we just missed each other, Wonderhussy. As a Nevada resident who travels all over the west, I hope to someday meet you on one of our many trips. Thanks for another wonderful video.
I love that you love Butte, but next time you come to town, the old part of town is called Uptown. I know, it's backwards, but Butte is a little backwards too. Lol
The mining school in Butte has one of the best mineral museums in the world. Graduates have donated mineral samples from around the world, Butte is a very interesting place.
Loved the story, I was born in 1959, in Missoula, Montana, (120 miles west of Butte, I-90, I've been to greater Butte to many times to count. I know for a fact you've barely even scratched the surface of getting into the Butte story. For instance, you never once mentioned Our Lady of the Rockies, I know you saw her, it's pretty hard to miss. The story of her is fantastic. I saw the pit for the first time in 1965, those giant trucks were so far down in the pit, they looked like little tiny matchbox cars. I went to The Columbia Gardens as a child (the park that the pit overran) I could tell more than a hundred storys about greater Butte. I have just one question for you, did you try a famous Butte pastie? They are incredibly delicious!!! I live in STG, southern Utah now and miss the short litte drive to one of the most fun little city's in the world!!! Greater Butte America!!!
I was visiting Tampa Florida and wandering around with the car on the waterfront and I got out and walked up near to a big motor yacht that had just docked and the first guy off the ship was yelling to the guys onboard in a gruff voice and as I got near him, I said "Hey, you look like Evel Knievel". And he looked real amused and he said "I am Evel Knievel". He told me he was out on the ocean with his family for the day. I asked him about his family and he told me about them in nice detail. He was perfectly peasant and kind. Then some years later I was working for the radio station "98 Rock" in Honolulu and Robbie Knievel came in for a live interview since he was due to perform a motorcycle jump at Aloha Stadium that night. He had brought his young daughter along and he was charming and very engaging and his girl just seemed to be completely thrilled with being there. I was just observing, but when Robbie asked about the weather forecast, I told him that light rain was expected. His expression then changed from a happy positive one to a dread negative one. That night, he didn't stick his landing but he got up and went on to perform many more good jumps. I had heard the saying that "money is the root of all evil" but I recognize that text is just a grossly nasty oversimplification. So with good temper in mind, the saying that "Money is the Loot of Evel Knievel" became to be a thing. And it was real. Maybe he didn't have a lot of the loot but he could keep his family entertained on the ocean with his yacht in Tampa for long enough.
Hi Sarah! I was thrilled to see you do this video on Butte, I have to say that the water level denies the real depth of the pit, it's awesome in a bewildering way, I remember being there as a child in the late '60s, or early '70s. The amusement park was still in operation at the time, but the next visit, it had been shut down and I'd been looking forward to going there again. The place was a blast! When you reminded me where Evel was, I had to check & see if it was the same Boneyard my people are buried at, nope. My Grandfather, and Great Grandfather are buried @ Holy Cross Cemetery, about a half mile down the street from Mountain View Cemetery. My Great Grandpa was a miner all his life in Butte, but died at home at the early age of 59, in 1914, 3 years before the Granite Mountain disaster. I owe you a great debt of gratitude, Sarah... Had I not checked to see if Evel's grave was the same cemetery, there is no telling how much longer it would have been for me to discover that the photos & obituaries had been added/updated, allowing me to learn that this large marker belongs to my Great Grandfather... I never knew whose it was, on a visit as a child, it wasn't revealed to me who was buried there, and I was very young. I do remember reading the family name on the monument, clearly. So thank you Sarah, I'm learning who my people are, and the pioneers they were! If you ever get back to Ojai, I'd love to meet you & enjoy some refreshments, and perhaps a nice meal! Please take care of yourself, you worry me sometimes! If for some reason you might mention something I've said, or who I am, you may. Always, Thomas
Hey Sarah, just came from New Pine Creek, Ore on the Cali border (literally) where there is a grain mill from the 1860s with original materials that the Smithsonian has been looking at. The town doesn’t want any changes but the mill is deteriorating as we speak. If you are in the area sometime, you should check it out. It’s just across the Cal/Neva border from Vya where you posted from earlier. Stay free!!
We have a huge super site called Iron Mountain in Redding Ca. It was also a copper mine. Smelters killed off vegetation killing the largest olive orchard in what was known as the Olive Capital at that time. When I delivered there one day …that was the last day I drank water out of the faucet. I drink spring water now pulled from the base of Mt Shasta.
Well have a very similar blue green toxic pit here in Australia (Queensland) but on a much smaller scale. It's the Mary Kathleen Uranium mine pit. It's also a tourist attraction. I have a mineral specimen in my collection from Butte. It's *Covellite* Butte was the best location in the world for good specimens of this mineral.
Good video, Sarah, yeah, I’ve been to Butte a few times. One of the old banks up on the hill is now a great brew house. Good food , cool old vault. My great grandpa was a railroad mechanic in Butte in 1912 for about 5 years. My grandma was 10. She hated it there . Bars , brothels and hundreds of drunk miners . Gramps finally hired on with Great Northern and tho he was always gone, he put grandma up in a boarding house on Queen Anne area north of Seattle. She felt much safer there. Great vid Sarah!🍻
Wonderhussy, I just love your videos!! So much state history learned from you! You are a great storyteller ❤️ much respect to your bravery of traveling all the weird places you go!
Thanks for this! I visited Butte in 2017 on my way to and from watching the total eclipse in Idaho, and visited the Berkeley Pit. Good memories of huckleberry shakes and Cornish pasties in town. Didn't realize that the Knievels were buried there! Robbie tried to jump the Grand Canyon at its narrowest point. The Washoe Club there was a former bordello and is reputedly haunted; a ghosthunter friend of mine had some kind of toxic reaction there. Discovered you around the time of Burning Man and am working on your past adventures!
My wife & I was on our way to Washington state about ten years ago & stayed a night in Butte, Montana. While she was taking a nap I saw this flashy dressed young lady go in the room next to us. A man came out & walked this big dog. About 30 minutes later he returned & the other man walked the dog & the young lady stayed in the room with the first dog walker. Second guy returned in about 30 minutes and the lady then left. Not sure what was going on but I'm sure it was a profitable hour for her..
Nice work and research! I think you captured the spirit of Butte as good as anyone could have. That second headstone was Evel's son Robbie and the etching depicts his jump over a narrow section of the Grand Canyon. As rough and tumble as Butte must have been back in the copper boom, it definitely produced its fair share of brave men and women just wanting to get out of there. Salute to you Sarah for sharing.
Hey, if you ever get up to Oregon you might like to travel the 120 mile stretch of the Oregon Outback. You might even discover a pick up that was shot up, burned out, and had thermite used to burn a hole in the hood. It has a shell on the back that you can see from the road if your looking for it. There is also a nice hot spring that is at a nice rv park.
My son and his family used live in Butt Montana...Oops Butte. LOL. He liked the fact that you could have an open container. But the rest of his family hated living there. Winters were way too cold. Plus, he wasn't too found of his employer. He did enjoy fishing there though. I think Butte is also an open carry there as well. (Open Carry = wearing hand guns on you on your belt like the old west town it is.) There's another Superfund Site in West Jordan, UT and they also have the largest open pit copper mine, the Brigham Copper Mine west of West Jordan as well. And that mine is still producing copper, I think. Well, it was when I lived there. They say it's so big you can see it from the space station. 😮
Contrary to what they may think you have given the town some of the best free advertising they could possibly obtain. This was fascinating, watched it twice, I would love to see this in person. Also, regardless of the environmental concerns which eventually will be dealt with the metals helped to sustain the nation and the families of those who worked there so all was not bad. Love your podcasts❤( I agree with your point abot ARCO 100 percent).
My Aunt was the office custodian for the Anaconda mine in weed heights NV. Just outside Yerington NV. In the 1970s. She took me with her when she went to clean the offices. You could actually see the spiraling roads with huge trucks descending into the mine there. There wasn't much water in the bottom at that time. The office actually had an old miners barrestaurant attached with pool tables and all.
From what I read, superfund sights end up getting paid for by the EPA, aka the taxpayers. So it's worse than you think, lol. Great video, you are such a smart lady. 😎
I am an old hippie, 60. Unfortunately I know all about Superfund sites. We have a LOT of them. That cap on one, in the Bikini Atoll, scares me. The water is rising, ready to pop that cap right off,..
Butte gets it water from the Big Hole river, they don't use groundwater, but a lot of homes do have wells. Butte's water rights is one of the oldest in Montana and maybe the whole west. Butte's monthly water rates are higher than the Las Vegas Valley Water District, but you can use more gallons before you have to pay extra. The water from the Big Hole river is pumped over the continental divide. Flying into Butte is like trying to land in a bucket, you are surrounded on three sides by the continental divide and it's all uphill to get in on the fourth side.
As a Montanan I am used to the Berkeley pit being a part of our history. But for anyone from the outside it really has to be a strange tourist attraction. For us it's a reminder of what happens when we allow corporations to plunder our resources without limits.
One of the reasons I have watched your channel and have continued to for the past 9 years is your sense of humor. Yes its a serious subject but life can be depressing enough without a sense of humor so thank you for having your approach to places like this .
Yep me too. She's got a very wry sense of humor.
I heard Jim Rome interview Evel years ago. Evel said he thought he had a 50/50 chance of living through the Snake River Canyon jump. When Jim asked him, "If you knew there was a 50% chance you would die, what made you go through with it?" Evel said, "Do you know who the hell I am?"
'Wonderful' report on Butte! My dad worked in the mines as a 'powder man' when it was still an underground operation after WWII. Once he graduated from the Butte School of Mines through the GI Bill; he simply walked off the job, having had enough of the dangerous mining life, and went to work for the state of MT until retiring. Butte has thousands of good stories; thanks so much for telling this one!
One of my closest friends was born in Butte, Montana. His dad worked at the mine’s for a few years before coming to Washington state. He has some great stories about growing up in Butte, part of a large Irish, Catholic family. Let’s just say it was a wild place for any adult or young man to grow up in!
Let's not pity poor ARCO too much. Their environmental history with fossil fuels means they had to know there were serious problems with the Anaconda copper mine at Butte before they bought it. They might have been caught by surprise when the Nixon administration birthed the EPA, but they're a big corporation with lots of contingency funds money for lawyers and lobbyists, so maybe they weren't surprised at all...
Thank you for sharing the Butte, Montana mine issues. Have a wonderful week. Everyone stay safe, happy and healthy. From Henrico County Virginia
You girls be careful out there with this bad storm approaching. Stock up on extra food and water and be safe. Prayers for you and all your friends out there for protection. Jesus is there for you when you need Him.❤️
She’s in a major Montana city, she has full resources.
Your research and storytelling is totally underrated. Another good one Sarah.
SARAH: Please keep tuned to the weather, and get yourself home before the hurricane hits.
This is no joke - There is a reasonably good chance you may see record flooding/flashflooding all throughout your area out there this weekend. This is not like other storms. This is serious. Please be safe and do not venture out until the storm has passed. No amount of 4WD will save you from getting washed from a flooded roadway. Be safe! Take care!
Indeed it will be a gully washer!
The photo on Robbie’s marker is him jumping a tributary at the Grand Canyon, over 220 feet. He succeeded, though it wasn’t actually across the canyon, which at its narrowest is 600 feet in Marble canyon and averages 10 miles across.
Sarah, Mike Rowe of "Dirty Jobs" did a episode on Butte and the team of people that ward off migrating birds from the toxic pool.
Property liability laws and hazardous materials clean up is a sore subject with a lot of people. The purchase a piece of property not knowing or understanding what work took place there. Somewhere along the way, someone complains about the dust coating their car, has the dust analyzed, and the rest is history.
I looked at some acreage located close to a landfill. As a condition of the sale, I wanted to know if the liner at the landfill was leaking possibly contaminating the ground water that I'd be using from a well. The results of the test drilling didn't go well, so I walked away.
Deep pockets is all you need to know.
Superfund means the Federal tax payer is footing the bill. The 1877 Mining Law confers no responsibility on the mine company. It is up to the states to hold them responsible which few do. Typically the company will get all they want then declare bankruptcy and walk away. Particularly favored by Canadian companies. They just go back to Canada with the loot and are untouchable. The sites are permanently polluted. It can be abated but never eliminated. The Federal tax payer also pays for coal miners black lung disease as the companies won't. This is part of the 33 trillion dollar Federal deficit. Socialism for the rich, capitalism for the poor.
@@rogersmith7396 LoL, I hear the ghost of Evel Knievel is running for President in 2024. I'll leave off the rest of the rant, Feds should have added 1 cent tax to electricity usage to pay for the S-funds, because we wouldn't be in the age of electricity or internet without all this reckless mining & industry. Same can be said of EVs today.Lather, Rinse & Repeat.
@@rogersmith7396not all super fund clean up is paid by tax payers. Burlington northern railroad has a super fund site in Livingston Montana. They are liable for the cleanup.
I played with a top 40 band at the copper king hotel back in 1985. What a great place with great people!
Good job Sarah!
Those really were the days for musicians! Cheers👍🏻
@@drbassface
I feel sorry for the young musicians these days.
They have no clue what they missed, from the late 60’s through the mid 90’s.
I made a good living, traveled the world and had more adventure than one could possibly imagine.
😜
@@paulnicolosi4792 Yeah Paul! Me too! 1981-85 I played in a couple Showbands across the country, including Atlantic City, Aruba, and even Saudi Arabia. Then moved and gigged in Vegas.
Then played music at Disney World. Fulltime for 14 years at Epcot. Still play part time at EPCOT , Candlelight Pricessional.
The traveling years were amazing, as you know. Free lodging. Lot’s of girls to meet. And then there was the music too!
We were blessed!
Cheers
Geeze , I drove through the place in the early 1980s on the way to trout fishing elsewhere in Montana. Butte looked like even the ghosts had left, It was so desolate and decayed. But many mining towns in the west had the same fate. Boom and Bust then artists and tourists.
@@never2yield20 yes, but the ladies were ‘very’ friendly…
Another fabulous adventure!
Be careful this weekend out in death Valley that hurricane is hitting the coast is expected to come all the way as far as St. George Utah and they’re saying death Valley can get as much is 8+ inches of rain within a couple hours. This is going to be a storm like we’ve never seen. So please either get out of death Valley or make sure you guys have lots of supplies just in case you have to hunker down. Be safe out there.❤
Don’t shed too many tears for Arco, they have been ripping people off for 100’s of years
arent they part of bp now? had an arco card tht turned to bp
Wonder Hussy is a great story teller!
But sucks at math.
Thank you for taking us along for a tour of Butte, Montana! It was an interesting visit. I did learn something new today about the historic town. I too remember Evel Knivel for his stunts on his motorcycle but did not know of his son! You did a great vlog during your visit. You should have visited the oldest, and continuously operating, Chinese restaurant in America, The Pekin Noodle House, which is in Butte - an interest sight on Main Street, Butte, MT. Looking forward to your next adventure vlog. Best wishes and regards! Stay safe and awesome! 😀🤙
Don't forget Pork Chop John's and the Bonanza Freeze! I love the Pekin! I'm originally from Montana and my Dad has lived in Butte since 1980. I currently live down in the desert near Wonderhussy!
I had the opportunity to meet my childhood hero Evel. He was exceptionally genteel and kind. We now know more about CTE and its impact on behavior. He also had a rough upbringing. Casting stones....ya know...glass houses.
I have worked in your country for 35 years, most states & I'm re-tired now & have learn't more about your country's history than I did working there, you are like history's investigative reporter, great vids !
Thank you Sara for respects to Evil and Robbie, it's nice to know Robbie is beside his father, Robbie followed his father's footsteps and jumped at Caesars Palace and then jumped the Grand Canyon he has 20 world records and I can watch all their jumps on you tube.
He died in Reno,NV.
Hi, Sarah.., ( Wonderhussy Adventures )..., My town... "Welcome to historical Uptown Butte, Montana." Excellent video and very informative and "Thank you" for sharing the video... You are always ( Welcome ) in historic Uptown Butte, Montana... Come back on our famous "Saint Patrick's Day" ☘🍺and I will give you..., your $5.00 back, and with a sense of humor 😊🤣and I am buying the ( cold beer 🍺🍻) in the many "Old Wild West Saloons " in historic Uptown Butte, with beautiful wooden back bars, built in the mid and late 1800s ! ! You will love the Irish dancing and Irish live music, parade, and fireworks 🎆 ! ! No bumper-to-bumper traffic... Montana has more cattle and horses, than people... * Sarah..., "You are always ( Welcome ) in historic Uptown Butte, Montana ! !" "Sarah..., you are bright, intelligent, and attractive." "Semper Fi" Michael Sean O'Brien in historic Uptown Butte, Montana. Or simply known as; Mike in Montana 😊🍺😘 P.S.: Little bit "Irish"..., ☘🤣🍺
I knew someone I knew would comment here. I’m the “Butte Girl.” Hi, Michael! 😉😻
Great reporting wonderhussy you get an A+ thanks for the video
"More Acid than Woodstock." That was as hilarious as it was sad.
I used be a flight attendant and we had summer layovers in Butte. That town knows how to have fun! That and we went fishing and got grayling somewhere around there. We stashed our catches in the wheel wells of the plane and they'd be nicely frozen by the time we got home and the co pilot retrieved our fish. Would have been fun to have you along!
I was just in Butte performing for a folk festival there in July! Something about that town that I loved so much… can’t wait to visit again and explore!
You always brighten my day Wonderhussy❤
Well you called him an anti-hero Wonderhussy but i think you were actually paying tribute to one of America's legends. There will never be anyone quite like Robert.Thank you.
He spelled it evel to match the last 4 letters of his last name. 😊. His son jumped the Grand Canyon.
Robbie Knievel had three daughters, Krysten, Karmen, and Maria. He also had two grandchildren, Analise and Kane. He died from pancreatic cancer in Reno, Nevada, on January 13, 2023, at age 60.
Makes you wonder though? Did cancer kill him or the barbaric treatment we do for cancer kill him!?
Actually, after the Snake Canyon jump, Evel became more religious and straightened out his life putting most of his energy into his Son's Career. Robby died of pancreatic cancer.
Prayers.
😢
Prayers for you
Thanks for laying it out straight. God bless you.
✝️
I love your videos!!!!
I've been to Butte many times and checked out that pit, the color of the water is beautiful. The historical town is amazing.
I think the etching on Robbie Knievel's grave commemorates his Grand Canyon jump.
Your hard work on your UA-cam channel is much appreciated. You are an amazing storyteller and I am particularly taken with your extensive vocabulary. Go Wonderhussy go
The memorial wall looks as if it’s made of core samples they way it is shaped ❤ great video 👏
You are correct. I used to work as a core driller underground in mines near Butte (Born and raised there by the way). Hauled many core boxes to the surface. Toughest job I ever had.
I have several friends from Montana. The impression I get from them is that Butte is kind of a sketchy and odd, a town that tends to get looked down on. I've been to Butte a few times, I like the place, actually. My Navy roommate is from Butte, he's got some stories!
Yay, Wonderhussy! This is a terrific video about Butte, one of my very favorite cities in the USA. Now I can't wait to go back again.
This conclusion to the Evel Knievel history is hilarious ! I've been through Butte numerous times delivering cars there and up through to Grand Falls, etc. So Its interesting to get the story on the Mine ! Thank Your Wonder Hussy ! PS get a much bigger Solar Generator ! I have a 2000 watt and a 5000 watt Bluetti wi th 800 satts of panels on the road with luxury camp kitchen of course the essential refrigerator, and it is still scary if I use too much power or get out of the sunbelt . So restorative to watch you, makes me feel fine, your a real Wonder !
Butte also has the old is continuously operated Chinese restaurant in the country and a lot of the improvements that you’ve seen in the city are because they filmed the television series there. 1923 with Harrison Ford a spinoff from Yellowstone
You're such a great storyteller. Very entertaining.
W A Clark the Butte Copper King has a huge mansion in Butte that is worth checking out. He later built a mansion in New York City comprising a whole city block with its own under ground railway.
Love that you can see a Walmart behind Evel's grave!
Yep. The cemetery sits directly across the street from Walmart (east.)
Evel Knievel was a huge influence on me and many young boys back in the day. We jumped our bikes in our wanting to be like him.
Robbie Knievel jumped the Grand Canyon !
I remember visiting the Berkeley Pit in 80 or 81 and seeing dead birds. It's too bad it took nearly 40 years for them to figure out a way to deter birds. I'm glad they are finally doing it though. Better late than never.
Great town. I enjoyed the old down town section great architecture. Lots of labor history was made there too. Damn girl you can spin a good yarn. Love it!
welcome to the Buthole of Montana
A man can fall many times in life, but he's never a failure if he doesn't get killed.
You are sooooo good at telling the story.....thanks. Lots of fun.
I'm praying that you're OK from hurricane.
Copper Mines that are shut down around here usually hire a care taker person to stay there so they wouldn’t have to clean up the mine.
WH, your storytelling is just top notch.
Sarah, in later life, Keneivel was very religious, and Robby jumped the Grand Canyon.
21:29 Check math. By the dates listed, Emma lived to be 104. No doubt she came from "sturdy, pioneer stock."
I caught that too.
Thank you for the nice video and history lesson. Butte is sure growing because HGTV did a whole series of flip shows there.
I noticed my family name on that memorial. Another coincidence is the year 1917 was the year my dad was born - his mother dying the year after in the flu pandemic.
Also WH, your intro to the mine made me think of the Joni Mitchell lyrics in Big Yellow Taxi: "They took all the trees put 'em in a tree museum
And they charged the people a dollar an' a half just to see 'em"
Reminder to WH: despite the similarities, Berkley Pit is NOT a hot spring! 😆
I have been to Butte several times and I absolutely love the place. The old downtown area contains hundreds of historic houses, apartments, churches and commercial buildings that it is a historian's dream. I was fortunate enough to be there when they were filming " 1918" and got to see parts of the downtown area made up to be as it was in 1918. This is one place that I would love to live in except for one thing. WINTER ! It gets way cold there for many months. I was most recently there on July 6-7 on the way to Wisconsin. Maybe we just missed each other, Wonderhussy. As a Nevada resident who travels all over the west, I hope to someday meet you on one of our many trips. Thanks for another wonderful video.
I love that you love Butte, but next time you come to town, the old part of town is called Uptown. I know, it's backwards, but Butte is a little backwards too. Lol
Good job telling the story of Butte, a great town.
The mining school in Butte has one of the best mineral museums in the world. Graduates have donated mineral samples from around the world, Butte is a very interesting place.
Loved the story, I was born in 1959, in Missoula, Montana, (120 miles west of Butte, I-90, I've been to greater Butte to many times to count. I know for a fact you've barely even scratched the surface of getting into the Butte story. For instance, you never once mentioned Our Lady of the Rockies, I know you saw her, it's pretty hard to miss. The story of her is fantastic. I saw the pit for the first time in 1965, those giant trucks were so far down in the pit, they looked like little tiny matchbox cars. I went to The Columbia Gardens as a child (the park that the pit overran) I could tell more than a hundred storys about greater Butte. I have just one question for you, did you try a famous Butte pastie? They are incredibly delicious!!! I live in STG, southern Utah now and miss the short litte drive to one of the most fun little city's in the world!!! Greater Butte America!!!
Missoula looks like a nice area. KettleHouse Ampitheatre is impressive.
Mammy and Pappy lived longer than their kids. Maybe there’s a lesson there 😊
I was visiting Tampa Florida and wandering around with the car on the waterfront and I got out and walked up near to a big motor yacht that had just docked and the first guy off the ship was yelling to the guys onboard in a gruff voice and as I got near him, I said "Hey, you look like Evel Knievel". And he looked real amused and he said "I am Evel Knievel". He told me he was out on the ocean with his family for the day. I asked him about his family and he told me about them in nice detail. He was perfectly peasant and kind. Then some years later I was working for the radio station "98 Rock" in Honolulu and Robbie Knievel came in for a live interview since he was due to perform a motorcycle jump at Aloha Stadium that night. He had brought his young daughter along and he was charming and very engaging and his girl just seemed to be completely thrilled with being there. I was just observing, but when Robbie asked about the weather forecast, I told him that light rain was expected. His expression then changed from a happy positive one to a dread negative one. That night, he didn't stick his landing but he got up and went on to perform many more good jumps.
I had heard the saying that "money is the root of all evil" but I recognize that text is just a grossly nasty oversimplification. So with good temper in mind, the saying that "Money is the Loot of Evel Knievel" became to be a thing. And it was real. Maybe he didn't have a lot of the loot but he could keep his family entertained on the ocean with his yacht in Tampa for long enough.
Hi Sarah! I was thrilled to see you do this video on Butte, I have to say that the water level denies the real depth of the pit, it's awesome in a bewildering way, I remember being there as a child in the late '60s, or early '70s. The amusement park was still in operation at the time, but the next visit, it had been shut down and I'd been looking forward to going there again. The place was a blast! When you reminded me where Evel was, I had to check & see if it was the same Boneyard my people are buried at, nope. My Grandfather, and Great Grandfather are buried @ Holy Cross Cemetery, about a half mile down the street from Mountain View Cemetery. My Great Grandpa was a miner all his life in Butte, but died at home at the early age of 59, in 1914, 3 years before the Granite Mountain disaster.
I owe you a great debt of gratitude, Sarah... Had I not checked to see if Evel's grave was the same cemetery, there is no telling how much longer it would have been for me to discover that the photos & obituaries had been added/updated, allowing me to learn that this large marker belongs to my Great Grandfather... I never knew whose it was, on a visit as a child, it wasn't revealed to me who was buried there, and I was very young. I do remember reading the family name on the monument, clearly. So thank you Sarah, I'm learning who my people are, and the pioneers they were! If you ever get back to Ojai, I'd love to meet you & enjoy some refreshments, and perhaps a nice meal! Please take care of yourself, you worry me sometimes! If for some reason you might mention something I've said, or who I am, you may. Always, Thomas
Robbie jumped the southern end of the Grand Canyon on a Native American reservation. That is what the engraving on his tombstone depicts.
Hey Sarah, just came from New Pine Creek, Ore on the Cali border (literally) where there is a grain mill from the 1860s with original materials that the Smithsonian has been looking at. The town doesn’t want any changes but the mill is deteriorating as we speak. If you are in the area sometime, you should check it out. It’s just across the Cal/Neva border from Vya where you posted from earlier. Stay free!!
We have a huge super site called Iron Mountain in Redding Ca. It was also a copper mine. Smelters killed off vegetation killing the largest olive orchard in what was known as the Olive Capital at that time. When I delivered there one day …that was the last day I drank water out of the faucet. I drink spring water now pulled from the base of Mt Shasta.
Ashville North Carolina isn't promoted as a Superfund site either. Thanks.
You're a wonderful storyteller, Wonderhussy, but there's nothing in this life that would make me feel badly for Arco.
Well have a very similar blue green toxic pit here in Australia (Queensland) but on a much smaller scale. It's the Mary Kathleen Uranium mine pit. It's also a tourist attraction. I have a mineral specimen in my collection from Butte. It's *Covellite* Butte was the best location in the world for good specimens of this mineral.
Your channel has me hooked. Keep up the good work. ❤️
I'm thoroughly impressed with the full-circle butt joke. Hole in one.
Good video, Sarah, yeah, I’ve been to Butte a few times. One of the old banks up on the hill is now a great brew house. Good food , cool old vault.
My great grandpa was a railroad mechanic in Butte in 1912 for about 5 years. My grandma was 10. She hated it there . Bars , brothels and hundreds of drunk miners . Gramps finally hired on with Great Northern and tho he was always gone, he put grandma up in a boarding house on Queen Anne area north of Seattle. She felt much safer there. Great vid Sarah!🍻
Excellent ⭐️😎🤩🤣
Thanks for the Butte tour Sarah...nicely done...
I look thoroughly forward to each video Sarah. Thank you. Hope to see you in SE Texas!
Wonderhussy, I just love your videos!! So much state history learned from you! You are a great storyteller ❤️ much respect to your bravery of traveling all the weird places you go!
Wonderhussey...be safe! Hurricane Hilary is ruthless.
And earthquakes😣 YIKES!!
I love these videos. Thanks Wonderhussy for doing all the heavy lifting so that we can enjoy! Safe journeys ahead!
My ancestor, John Powell, used to hunt fresh meat that he sold to the miners in the Butte area, 1870's.
Thanks for this! I visited Butte in 2017 on my way to and from watching the total eclipse in Idaho, and visited the Berkeley Pit. Good memories of huckleberry shakes and Cornish pasties in town. Didn't realize that the Knievels were buried there! Robbie tried to jump the Grand Canyon at its narrowest point. The Washoe Club there was a former bordello and is reputedly haunted; a ghosthunter friend of mine had some kind of toxic reaction there. Discovered you around the time of Burning Man and am working on your past adventures!
Was there this summer! Butte Rocks! Toxic Fun 👽
My wife & I was on our way to Washington state about ten years ago & stayed a night in Butte, Montana. While she was taking a nap I saw this flashy dressed young lady go in the room next to us. A man came out & walked this big dog. About 30 minutes later he returned & the other man walked the dog & the young lady stayed in the room with the first dog walker. Second guy returned in about 30 minutes and the lady then left. Not sure what was going on but I'm sure it was a profitable hour for her..
Ick
Rats, my ex-wife sure gets around, I hope those two had their rabies shots.🤔
Sloppy seconds or disgusting 100ths.
Nice work and research! I think you captured the spirit of Butte as good as anyone could have. That second headstone was Evel's son Robbie and the etching depicts his jump over a narrow section of the Grand Canyon. As rough and tumble as Butte must have been back in the copper boom, it definitely produced its fair share of brave men and women just wanting to get out of there. Salute to you Sarah for sharing.
Hey, if you ever get up to Oregon you might like to travel the 120 mile stretch of the Oregon Outback. You might even discover a pick up that was shot up, burned out, and had thermite used to burn a hole in the hood. It has a shell on the back that you can see from the road if your looking for it. There is also a nice hot spring that is at a nice rv park.
I spent many a youthful summer in Butte as both my parents grew up there and actually went to school with Evel. I loved going there as a kid.
I saw Evel jump back in 1976, Seattle Kingdome. Very cool!
My son and his family used live in Butt Montana...Oops Butte. LOL. He liked the fact that you could have an open container. But the rest of his family hated living there. Winters were way too cold. Plus, he wasn't too found of his employer. He did enjoy fishing there though. I think Butte is also an open carry there as well. (Open Carry = wearing hand guns on you on your belt like the old west town it is.)
There's another Superfund Site in West Jordan, UT and they also have the largest open pit copper mine, the Brigham Copper Mine west of West Jordan as well. And that mine is still producing copper, I think. Well, it was when I lived there. They say it's so big you can see it from the space station. 😮
Contrary to what they may think you have given the town some of the best free advertising they could possibly obtain. This was fascinating, watched it twice, I would love to see this in person. Also, regardless of the environmental concerns which eventually will be dealt with the metals helped to sustain the nation and the families of those who worked there so all was not bad. Love your podcasts❤( I agree with your point abot ARCO 100 percent).
My Aunt was the office custodian for the Anaconda mine in weed heights NV. Just outside Yerington NV. In the 1970s. She took me with her when she went to clean the offices. You could actually see the spiraling roads with huge trucks descending into the mine there. There wasn't much water in the bottom at that time. The office actually had an old miners barrestaurant attached with pool tables and all.
From what I read, superfund sights end up getting paid for by the EPA, aka the taxpayers. So it's worse than you think, lol. Great video, you are such a smart lady. 😎
More acid than Woodstock, that's very funny!
A few years ago I went up to Butte from Fort Collins, CO. for St. Patrick’s Day. I had a great time. Nice people. Looking forward to going back.
That Memorial Wall is made of core samples, I still have a few from my days as a driller in the early 1970's😀
I am an old hippie, 60. Unfortunately I know all about Superfund sites. We have a LOT of them. That cap on one, in the Bikini Atoll, scares me. The water is rising, ready to pop that cap right off,..
Butte gets it water from the Big Hole river, they don't use groundwater, but a lot of homes do have wells. Butte's water rights is one of the oldest in Montana and maybe the whole west. Butte's monthly water rates are higher than the Las Vegas Valley Water District, but you can use more gallons before you have to pay extra. The water from the Big Hole river is pumped over the continental divide. Flying into Butte is like trying to land in a bucket, you are surrounded on three sides by the continental divide and it's all uphill to get in on the fourth side.
Watching enjoying the video awesome Wonderhussy 👍😃😎♥️
If you ever venture across the pond, pull up to Peter Kavanagh's pub in liverpool. You will get many beers x
Excellent...thank you...😎
Missoula, butte,, beautiful towns n awesome state
Butte's a really cool town. The movie 'Don't Come Knocking" was filmed there.
The first season of 1923 was also filmed there.
That's awesome
Always interesting. Still waiting for you to come to the North East.