Butte's World Museum of Mining to offere 2023 field trips.

All you have to do is look around you to see that Butte is alive in history. Gallows frames from a bygone era dot the landscape and the architecture you will find Uptown will rival the historical districts of Boston or even Chicago. With such living remnants of our past so readily available at our fingertips, Butte is indeed a historian's mecca and a wonderful setting for young minds to expand. And with Montana Tech and the World Museum of Mining just up the hill, it's not only history that is learned but also science. And what better place to light a fire in the mind of a potential young geologist or mining engineer than in the actual shaft of a once-working mine?

Headframe of the Orphan Girl Mine. Photo: Tommy O?Townsquare Media

The World Museum of Mining is excited to be offering school field trips in 2023 where groups can participate in various programs at the Museum. Hell Roarin' Gulch is an incredible replica of an 1890's mining camp with many authentic parts. Self-guided tours are available and even an optional, free scavenger hunt. The Orphan Girl Mine headframe is on grounds which is can be carefully explored. But the crown jewel of the museum's attractions? It has to be the underground mine tour where groups are fitted with miners' helmets and lamps and go down 100 feet into the acutal 2,700-foot Orphan Girl Mine shaft. It's hard to get much more hands-on than that.

A friendly face greets visitors to the World Museum of Mining in Butte. Photo: Tommy O/Tonwnsquare Media

Self-guided tours are $4.00 per student and $5.00 for adults. Guided mine yard tours are the same price plus $25.00 for the tour guide. The Underground Tours, which include the self-guided tour and takes about 90 minutes, are $10.00 per student and $15.00 per adult. Interested schools should contact the World Museum of Mining office at (406)723-7211 or emaill buttewmm@gmail.com for further details or to book a visit.

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