Women of Butte

Women of Butte. . , Butte women never worked in the mines, but their toil above ground shaped the face of the city. , Most of the mining city's women were wives and mothers. Immigrant and native-born, they struggled to nurture their families and preserve their cultural heritage against tough odds. In the difficult climate of Butte, housekeeping was a heroic task. Hundreds of women washed, cooked, and cleaned for boarders as well as their own families. And always in the back of their minds was the fear that a whistle would blow signaling a mine disaster and the death of their husbands or sons. , Women also labored outside the home. Single women worked as bucket girls, sales clerks, waitresses, teachers, midwives, maids, and seamstresses. Hours were long, pay was low, and working conditions were often grim. In 1893, the Women's Protective Union was founded for the benefit of the city's cooks, maids, and waitresses. Over the years, other working women joined its ranks. The union protected women from exploitation and gave them a sense of working-class consciousness and female pride. , One significant group of women did not enjoy the benefits of a union. Prostitutes formed a large segment of Butte's female labor force. The mining city had one of the most notorious red light districts in the West. Little about it was glamorous. Most women worked out of small, dingy cribs. Alcohol and drug addiction, disease and violence plagued the lives of these Butte workers. , Butte women also contributed to the city with their voluntary labor. Dozens of women's clubs produced plays, planted gardens, lobbied for public playgrounds and pure food laws, raised money to build churches and buy milk for school children. , Through their work, both paid and unpaid, Butte's women made the mining city a place to call home.