Honors Program: A pathway to excellence.

HONR 101A/301A Geology, Mining, Culture, & Labor History of Butte, Montana (Roberts & Satterley)

Butte, Montana (and immediate vicinity) has a very long geological history, which ultimately resulted in metals mineralization that earned it the name “Richest Hill on Earth.” Early Native Americans apparently exploited some of the near-surface mineralization, but it was the increasingly important sequence of gold-silver-copper discoveries in the mid to late 19th Century that created the mining community of Butte. Mining attracted people from all over the world, who carried out a wild, rich, multicultural experiment in the middle of the otherwise rural West, and completely altered the history of Montana, the labor movement, and the landscape. Mining continues today, as does the cleanup of the nation’s largest Superfund site. Join this Honors class to explore the geology and history of Butte with field trips, archives research, guest lecturers, films, food, stories, and more.

The course will explore Butte geology and human and environmental history, in an experiential format that will include relevant lectures but will center on:

1. Five or more extended (day-long) field trips to Butte and vicinity, lead by Roberts and Satterly and augmented by several guest lecturers/leaders.
2. Reading assignments and films
3. Service-learning research projects
4. Experiential studies of ethnic music, food, clothing; mining practices; and other cultural items
5. torytelling and other performances