Entry No. 20 — the Butte file — filed under: roadside-oddity

Butte's Headframes (Gallows Frames)

About a dozen tall black steel skeletons loom over Uptown Butte, the preserved hoist towers of the mines that honeycombed 'the richest hill on earth.' Miners called them gallows frames or gallus frames, a grim double meaning since cables over the wheels at the top lowered men into shafts that on this 'Mile High, Mile Deep' hill ran nearly a mile underground. Several have been outlined in red lights as part of a campaign to memorialize all fourteen, so at night the skyline reads as a constellation of glowing red derricks rather than the oil rigs that visitors often mistake them for.

The move: Take an evening self-guided drive or walk around Uptown to find the red-lit headframes glowing against the dark hill.

📍 Before you go These are outdoor structures scattered across town and viewable for free anytime; the red lighting is best after dark.

• 📍 Butte
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: Uptown Butte historic district, Butte, MT 59701 (multiple sites across the hill)

Hours: Added 2026-06-24 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4

last checked: 2026-06-24