Historical Butte Gems: The Hotel Finlen stands as a stoic reminder of Buttes resolute nature in the face of adversity. The Hotel was opened on New Years Day in 1924. It had been modeled after the famed Astoria Hotel in New York city and was built on the site of a previous hotel, the McDermott. Falling copper prices ultimately ended construction on the second tower of the Finlen and today the offset towers still remind us of an undertaking not quite completed. But folks in Butte dont choose to call that a failure, they look at the glass as half full. That tower just isnt quite finished yet, and perhaps one day itll be the bigger of the two. Certainly, the ballroom has been restored to an even grander state than it ever was. That ballroom has seen some amazing people and some better parties. Charles Lindbergh stayed at the Finlen. Teddy Roosevelt spoke from a balcony to the people of Butte. A young upstart Senator named John and his newlywed wife Jackie were introduced to Butte and spent some time in that very room. Sometimes its a bit too easy to look around this town and focus on the layers that history leaves. We can see the dust and the tailings just fine. However, lets also remember that this little town was once the center of the known and necessary world. And if you look at it in the perspective of history, that was just a blink ago. The Finlen was once one of the most luxurious hotels between Seattle and Minneapolis. And when you consider that hotel was smack in the middle of a rough and tumble mining town that was producing millions of dollars of copper, silver and gold ore each month and that the streets were filled with working men and women from all walks of life and corners of the world - Well, youve got a jewel right in your midst and you probably didnt even realize it. So open up that jewelry box, dust off a couple gems, grab a drink at the cavalier lounge and enjoy the truly amazing place you live in or happen to be visiting.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 00:20:27 +0000
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