Butte, Montana

July 27/2014  Weather still hot up to 90, but overcast all day to ride, night 63
After our week in Cody we moved west to the KOA in Butte, Montana for a couple of nights.  It was the Evel Knievel Days.  The lady camping next to us was from the town and just back to visit.  She went to school with Evil.  She told us the story of his name was true. Bobby was quite a terror growing up and in the local jail enough.  One time he was in there after a motorcycle crash for reckless driving and the fellow in the next cell was a familiar fellow known as Awful Knofel.  That night the jailer dubbed him his nick name.  Said he had "Awful Knofel and Evil Knievel".  Bobby kept it but spelled it Evel not wanting to be know as evil! 

Historic District Downtown

Butte is an old mining town, in fact much of the town is built on the side of the Berkeley Pit which is an open copper mine.

Mine Shaft in the middle of town

 Another interesting landmark is Our Lady of the Rockies, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and all mothers.  A man in the town promised to make a statue after his wife lived through a terrible cancer illness.  It started out as a 5 foot endeavour and ended up in reality a 90 foot statue.  It is the 2nd tallest statue in the USA behind the Statue of Liberty.   You can see it for miles sitting on top of the Continental Divide and it lights up at night!

Our Lady of the Rockies