Museums 101: Government Buildings in a Mining Town (Photo Diary)

Hell Roarin’ Gulch is the re-creation of a mining town which is a part of the World Museum of Mining in Butte, America (okay, Butte is located in Montana, but calls itself Butte, America rather than Butte, Montana). The recreation is more than just a bunch of old buildings: it is like either stepping back in time or walking into a movie set. While movies like to suggest that the Old West was an anarchy, government in early mining towns was important. Shown below are some of the government buildings in Hell Roaring’ Gulch.

Fire Department:

Shown above is Butte Fire Department Aerial Truck No. 1. The truck was built by the Bud Manufacturing Company in 1911 for the  City of Butte.  Unfortunately, Butte is rather hilly and the truck was unable to navigate the hills. The wheels (notice that they are solid) are individually driven by 3 horsepower electric motors. A 35 horsepower, 4 cylinder engine turns a 12 kilowatt generator to supply the powers to the electric motors.

City Hall:

School:

Forest Service:

Law Enforcement:

Post Office: