If you live in Butte, or just love it, you’ll want to check put the special Butte issue from Montana The Magazine of Western History that will be available in early January.

Check out what the issue contains:

• Entering Butte by Robert R. Swartout Jr.

• ‘See America the Bountiful’ – Butte’s Berkeley Pit and the American Culture of Consumption by Timothy J. LeCain

• Another Look at Burk’s Butte: What We Learned from the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial by Frederick E. Hoxie

• Caring for the Dead: The Development of the Funeral Business in Butte by Zena Beth McGlashan

• 1,000,000 Glasses a Day: Butte’s Beer History on Tap by Steve Lozar

• Driving Haul Trucks in the Berkeley Pit: Reminiscences of a Gritty Job by Bill Long

• About Butte by Wim Wenders

• The Butte-Anaconda National Historic Landmark by Martha Kohl

• Bioprospecting in the Berkeley Pit: The Search for Valuable Natural Products from a Most Unnatural World by Andrea Stierle

• Our Lady of the Rockies by Kris King

Montana The Magazine of Western History has been published by the Montana Historical Society since 1951 and circulates to all 50 states and to over a dozen foreign countries. It is one of the most prize-winning magazines in the nation receiving several Spur and Wrangler awards.

Copies of Montana The Magazine of Western History should be available on newsstands now or very soon or can be ordered by calling 1-800-243-9900 or (406) 444-4708.

P.S. Thanks to reader Jools for the heads up on this.

The Elks are holding Flag Day services at the Butte Plaza Mall Wednesday, June 14th. The ceremony will be at 1:30 p.m. in the area outside JC Penney. Information about the Flag and Flag Day will be presented and anyone with flags to despose, they will be collecting your flags for respectful disposal by the American Legion.

Anyone with family serving in the military can bring photos to hang on the Freedom Tree as well.

Happy Flag Day, Butte.

As you spend your Monday, remember the true reason Memorial Day is a holiday in this country–to honor and remember those who have fallen in our nation’s defense and service.

There’s a website that will tell you anything you ever wanted to know about Memorial Day, located at USMemorialDay.org. Take a moment to learn more about the history of Memorial Day (originally called Decoration Day) and say thanks to those who’ve gone before us to pave the way.

The “Memorial” in Memorial Day has been ignored by too many of us who are beneficiaries of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. Often we do not observe the day as it should be, a day where we actively remember our ancestors, our family members, our loved ones, our neighbors, and our friends who have given the ultimate sacrifice:

• By visiting cemeteries and placing flags or flowers on the graves of our fallen heroes.
• By visiting memorials.
• By flying the U.S. Flag at half-staff until noon.
• By flying the ‘POW/MIA Flag’ as well (Section 1082 of the 1998 Defense Authorization Act).
• By participating in a “National Moment of Remembrance”: at 3 p.m. to pause and think upon the true meaning of the day, and for Taps to be played.
• By renewing a pledge to aid the widows, widowers, and orphans of our falled dead, and to aid the disabled veterans.

Local Links & Info

• Montana Standard: Local veterans honor dead with flags
• Montana Standard: Memorial Day lineup for Butte and Anaconda

The Copper King Express Excursion Train will take its inagural run today at 1 p.m.

It’s part of a weekend of events in Anaconda called Blast From the Past. It’s being done in conjunction with the grand opening of the Anaconda Railroad & Mining Museum.

In 2004, Rarus Railway Company (the successor to the B.A.&P.), purchased some passenger cars and created the “Copper King Express”. With the creation of the excursion train, passenger trains would once again operate over the former B.A.&P. line. It had been 50 years since the last regular passenger train service operated on the line.

The train will run every Friday and Saturday from this weekend until September.

Prices

• Adult: $25
• Students (ages 6-18): $17
• Seniors (ages 60 and over): $17

You can purchase tickets at the website, by calling (406) 563-7121, or by emailing rarusrailway@yahoo.com

Any of you who attends the Blast From the Past celebration, let us know your impressions. Leave us a comment with all the details. And if you take photos, we’d love for you to pass them along.

Related Links

• Gold West Country
• History of the Railroad
• Montana Standard’s news story

We hit up the World Museum of Mining today for the 2006 Ghost Walk. It’s sponsored by Butte Cares, The World Museum of Mining and the Butte High History Club (with Butte High History teacher Chris Fisk at the helm).

As per usual, we took a lot of photos for you guys.

One of the most notable moments was the bit about prohibition and the Rookwood Speakeasy, which was done by the folks from Old Butte Historical Adventures and was quite a hoot.

Obviously, a lot of work went into this year’s Ghost Walk and the weather certainly cooperated. We had a great time and a lot of laughs. We’ll be sure to check out future Ghost Walks and we encourage you to do the same.

Check out all our pictures from today and if you’ve got anything to say about the Ghost Walks: comment away!