Butte Montana History: Some Great Trivia

For my trivia game at the GrandStand Sports Bar, I brought back a topic on Butte history.  Some are easy, a couple are wild, and one endearing.  Scroll down for the answers.

Butte History Questions

1. At first only gold and silver were mined in the Butte area, but the advancement in electricity caused a demand for what metal, abundant in this area?

2. Fill in the Blank. Due to its successful mining industry, Butte is known as The Richest ____ on Earth.

3. Who is the star of the film Gone with the Wind who made their acting debut in the Empress Theater in Butte? Clark Gable or Vivien Leigh?

4. In 1903, Butte mayor Pat Mullins ordered the curtains be drawn open so folks could see what larger-than-life U.S. President eat supper?

5. Dashiell Hammett, the crime novelist and creator of Sam Spade, worked in Butte as a detective, and Butte was the setting for his first novel Red Harvest. What tenacious Western detective agency did Hammett work for?

6. Charlie Chaplin performed in Butte, and Stanley Jefferson was his understudy. After leaving Butte, Stanley changed his last name to Laurel and became half of what comic film duo?

7. On July 4, 1916, Broadway Street was straddled by a gigantic wooden animal, 62 feet tall, 44 feet long with 24-foot legs. Provided by lodge members, what was the animal? A Bear, a Bull, an Elk or a Moose?

8. Chong Suey, a Chinese orphan boy, hi-jacked any wagon team left unattended, and galloped through the streets on his own chariot race. What story inspired the youngster?

9. The original promise was a 5-foot statue in their yard. What 90-foot statue in Butte was prompted by a husband’s prayer and promise for his ailing wife?

10. Who was the motorcycle daredevil born in Butte in 1938?

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The Answers

1.  Copper

2.  Butte is called The Richest Hill on Earth

3.  Clark Gable.  Please tell me there are photos of him on stage.

4.  Theodore Roosevelt

5.  Pinkerton

6.  Laurel & Hardy.  Charlie Chaplin and Stanley Laurel entertained in Butte?  Oh to see the photos...

7.  Provided by members of the Elks Lodge.  Of course, an Elk.

8.  Suey did this long before the movie came out.  Ben Hur

9.  Aww.  His Love brought all of us Our Lady of the Rockies

10.  Evel Knievel.  The spelling is unique, with "evel" twice.