Mining

Butte's history is rich and vast, so how do you sum it up for someone? This is a pretty good example.

A crazy, largely-unknown story of one of Butte's most unique historical sites—and the secrets that lie beneath.

Cool rocks and gemstones have been my jam since I was a little kid. Every family road trip would have me scouring the roadsides for "Rock Shop" signs or anything of the like.

Nope, it's not Butte. But we discovered a pile of historical facts that all originated in this other important Montana town. When the town in question was to be platted, it's founder wanted to call it "Copperopolis".

It's time to ramp up rare earth mining in America, especially if you want electric vehicles or so-called green energy. That's what Dr. Courtney Young, a professor of metallurgical and materials engineering at Montana Tech in Butte, argued in a recent guest opinion column.

Montana has every right to be proud of the sapphires that can be found here. Why are these sapphires so special and are they actually rare? Yes, and we learned all the 'dirt' about these incredibly popular gemstones.

National Miners Day will be observed here in the Mining City with a fundraising gala.