Butte in Silver Bow County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Chope Residence
Butte National Historic Landmark District
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, July 12, 2021
1. Chope Residence Marker
Inscription.
Chope Residence. Butte National Historic Landmark District. Paired Ionic columns support a classical one-story porch while the parapet atop the curved two-story bay window evokes the image of a medieval castle. Kitty Paxson and her husband, pharmacist Robert Paxson, lived in the elegant brick residence in 1900. By 1920, Thomas and Anna Chope lived here with their five children. An Irish immigrant, Thomas began his career in Butte as an underground miner and served as a union officer before becoming foreman at the High Ore Mine. There he compiled one of the Company’s best safety records. The Chopes lived across the street in 1917, when the Granite Mountain-Speculator fire killed 167 men in the nation’s deadliest hard-rock mining disaster. To appease the miners after the fire, the Company named Chope to the newly created position of labor commissioner. According to family legend, Chope offered his children a new car or this home after he received word of the promotion. They chose the house, which remained in the Chope family until 1995. Thomas barely had time to enjoy his new home; he died in 1921, at age fifty, after an emergency appendectomy.
Paired Ionic columns support a classical one-story porch while the parapet atop the curved two-story bay window evokes the image of a medieval castle. Kitty Paxson and her husband, pharmacist Robert Paxson, lived in the elegant brick residence in 1900. By 1920, Thomas and Anna Chope lived here with their five children. An Irish immigrant, Thomas began his career in Butte as an underground miner and served as a union officer before becoming foreman at the High Ore Mine. There he compiled one of the Company’s best safety records. The Chopes lived across the street in 1917, when the Granite Mountain-Speculator fire killed 167 men in the nation’s deadliest hard-rock mining disaster. To appease the miners after the fire, the Company named Chope to the newly created position of labor commissioner. According to family legend, Chope offered his children a new car or this home after he received word of the promotion. They chose the house, which remained in the Chope family until 1995. Thomas barely had time to enjoy his new home; he died in 1921, at age fifty, after an emergency appendectomy.
Erected by Montana Historical Society.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Labor Unions
Location. 46° 0.839′ N, 112° 32.693′ W. Marker is in Butte, Montana, in Silver Bow County. Marker is on West Granite Street near North Crystal Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 609 West Granite Street, Butte MT 59701, United States of America. Touch for directions.
The marker is on a post to the right of the steps.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 25, 2021. It was originally submitted on October 25, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 82 times since then and 6 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on October 25, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
