World Museum of Mining

The World Museum of Mining occupies the site of the Orphan Girl mine on the west side of Butte. The mine worked from 1875 to 1956 and took silver, lead and zinc from more than 3,200 feet below ground; its 100-foot steel headframe still stands over the grounds. The museum was chartered as a non-profit in 1964, opened in July 1965 and now covers about 22 acres. It is the best place in Butte to understand what the miners' working day was like before the hill was opened up by the Berkeley Pit.

The grounds hold about 50 buildings. Many of them make up Hell Roarin' Gulch, a reconstructed mining-camp street of dozens of historic buildings and storefronts filled with period objects, which gives a sense of what a Butte street looked like in the mining boom. Around the headframe, mining machinery and exhibits show how ore and men were moved in and out of the mine.

The underground tour is the reason to come. Visitors go down into the Orphan Girl with a guide, and the museum says tours run daily during the season. It strongly recommends buying tour tickets in advance. Closed-toe shoes are required, with trainers or hiking boots preferred; Crocs, sandals and mules are not allowed. Every visitor must be able to walk the whole route unaided, and children cannot be carried. Bring a warm layer, because the mine is cool even in August.

The museum is seasonal. In October 2026 it opens Wednesday to Monday from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm, closed on Tuesdays, and the regular season ends on 29 October. The last general-admission ticket is sold an hour before closing. It reopens in spring; past seasons have started in April, but check the website for 2027 dates. Ticket prices were not published on the museum's site at the time of writing, so check by phone or online before you go.

Allow two to three hours if you take the underground tour and walk Hell Roarin' Gulch. Combine the visit with Uptown's headframes, the Berkeley Pit viewing stand on the east side of town and the Copper King Mansion.