Walkerville is a town in Silver Bow County, Montana, United States, that is an enclave of the consolidated city-county of Butte. The population was 639 at the 2020 census. Walkerville is a suburb of Butte, and the only other incorporated community in the county, as well as the only part of the county that is not part of Butte.
Part of Walkerville is included in the Butte-Anaconda Historic District. Walkerville represents some of the earliest mines in the district and preserves the early mining camp flavor present in the 1890s to 1910s.
History
Walkerville is a suburb of Butte, Montana and is home to some of the earliest mining sites in the area. These sites attracted many investors to Walkerville in the late 1800s. Walkerville is named for four of those investors: brothers Joseph, Samuel, Matthew and David Walker of Salt Lake City;
thumb|left|Walkerville, 1881
There were many different types of materials mined depending on the location of a given site. Copper and silver were two of the most commonly mined materials. In 1893, silver prices dropped, but the town's economy continued to thrive due to its copper production. The town incorporated in 1890, and by the early 1900s almost 2,500 people lived there, mostly Cornish and Irish immigrants who came to work in the mines. Walkerville's economic success continued until 1918 when the end of World War I caused copper prices to drop.
In 1955, the Anaconda Company decided to begin open-pit mining operations, which transformed Walkerville. Residents opposed open-pit mining on the grounds that it took away jobs. But extracting metals was cheaper with the open pit method, and as copper prices dropped after World War II, the old Alice Mine transformed into the Alice Pit. Blasting in the pit, located in the middle of Walkerville, angered residents who complained of noise, flying rocks, and cracking basements. The Anaconda Company offered to buy property at fair market prices and sold homes back to residents for one dollar on the stipulation that the home be moved. Many residents moved away. When the blasting and digging rendered Sibyl, Rose, and Pearl streets impassable, they were condemned and fenced off. Mayor Jimmy Shea responded by demanding that the Company formally petition the city council to discontinue and vacate the streets. With this leverage, the city council demanded the Company pay to repair city utilities, build a new road, repair damaged streets, build safety fences, keep the pit one hundred feet from homes, and build a new ballpark. Eventually, the Company acquiesced to most of these demands. Even so, Walkerville's fight with the Company became more bitter as the pit continued to expand. In 1961, the City of Walkerville sued Anaconda for damaging city property. The Alice Pit never reopened.
Geography
Berkeley Pit is to the south. The town is on the U.S. Continental Divide.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.
Neighborhoods
- Corktown
- Sun View Terrace
- the Corra