The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-18
NAMES FOR THE HIGHWAYS
How It Was Decided to Pick
Names for Butte Streets.
IT WAS DONE IN THIS WAY
Flowers and Trees Weren't Plenty 30
tho Conventional Plan Wa Adam
doned and the Metals q Min
ersls Made the Basis.

:. Visitors to Butte often remark on
khe popularity in the naming of many
Of Butte's streets for minerals and
metals. n there has been much ia
vorable comment respecting the ap-
propriateness in such a choice of
names for a mining camps streets. So
Ear as known Butte is the only city
Where this system of street nomencla-
9ure has been adopted. Elm street
and Maple street and Locust street
would surely be out Of place as names
for streets in a city so ~treeless as
Butte, but Silver street. Galena street
and Quartz street are peculiarly APP
.propriate.
1t was about 1874 or 1875 that the
scanning of Butte's streets really be-
van, and II was in 1876 that the first
mar of the original Butte townsite
was prepared by Civil Engineer E. l..
Mcfarland. The system OF naming
adopted and the naming OF the streets
was done by Mr.. Mcfarland. by o.
b. O'Bannon. who was probate judge
at the time. and by Charles S. Warren.
In fact Charley Warren is given the
Credit of having made the happy sug
-gestion that, instead of naming streets
<3er trees or flowers. as had been pro-
posed, that the streets running east
and west be named for minerals and
metals. The suggestion met the APP
prevail of all. For the streets running
north and south IL was at first pro-
posed that the names of presidents be
taken, and then that the names of
states be AIKEN. The three men who
named Butte's original streets discus
ssed this matter at length. Not one Of
Sthem had any idea at that time that
sButte would expand to the proportions
vt now occupies and they despaired of
ever honoring with street names any
thing like all the presidents or all the
territories either. So Il was decided
10 name the streets running north and
south with the names of territories or
states in the Rocky mountain region.
Previous to this time the struggling
camp had three streets which had been
given by old-tlmers the names of
Main, Park and Broadway. Park
(. street received its name on account OF
being the old road straight out to
Park canyon. When the Butte town
site was laid out 1t was decided not
TO change the name of this street.
Main street had so long been known by
that name that 1t could not we'll be
changed, and IL was decided to make
II the central thoroughfare of the city
and lay the townsite out to an equal
| distance both east and west of Main
street. The name of Broadway was
oieo " " NhS
wishes of the old-timers. though why
Il should ever have been given the title
of Broadway cannot be conjectured
now unless 1t was because it is a lit
tie narrower than any of the other
streets in the central part of town.
Broadway is only n feet in width.
while the other principal streets are
so feet in width.
When Messrs. Mcfarland. O'Bannon
and Warren started naming the streets
of the original townsite it was much
like naming streets out in Silver Bow
park or the Boulevard addition when
q these additions were first laid out. Sew
eral OF the streets in the original
TOWNSHIP had not a house on them as
yet. There were struggling houses all
the way from Copper street down to
Galena, but nothing south of there ex-
cept old, abandoned placer diggings.
South Butte did not come into exist
ence until 1850, when the railroad got
4 IN.
Following the plan Of naming the
streets running east and west after
minerals, metals and rocks, the first
street north of Broadway was named
Granite, the next Quartz, and the next
Copper. That was as far as the orig
inal townsite extended to the north.
but some years afterwards another
th~oroughfare was made. Forgetting
the original system of nomenclature,
this new street was not named after a
mineral. but was called Woolman
street. 1t received its name from pass
ing through the wooolman lode claim.
? which had been named after Joe Wool
man.
South from Park street the east and
west streets were named respectively
Galena. Mercury, Silver, Porphyry and
Gold. That was as far as the TOWNSHIP
was laid out at that time. As the
city expanded. however, and the old
placer diggings were filled in and lev
eled off the system of naming for
minerals was continued and Platinum,
; Aluminium and Iron streets were sue
cessively opened UP. A little north and
south street in the diggings was quite
appropriately named Placer street In
late days. Below Iron street South
Butte was met with its own system OF
street nomenclature. Front street, First
street, Second street. and so a stoI
came to the system OF naming streets
after minerals.
Adopting the plan Of naming the
north and south streets after terri
tories, the streets to the east or MAR
were named respectively wyoming
street and Arizona street, and those to
the west of Main were named Montana
Idaho and Washington. That covered
the original townsite. A little street
running from Granite up to Copper
street was named Alaska street. Ont
extending from Broadway to Granite
was named Utah street, but wher
South Butte was annexed IL brought
with il a Utah avenue, n as the lat
ter was the longer. the name OF tht
former was changed from Utah stree
TO Hamilton street. being renamed for
the Hamilton block. which Is on th'
street. A little street from Broadway
TO Park was named Academy street
after the school. which at one lim'
stood there. Two streets running soutf
from Galena were named respectively
Colorado and Dakota streets.
The original townsite sufficed fol
Butte for a good many years, but al
the mines were opened up and develop