Entry No. 8 — the Butte file — filed under: haunted

Granite Mountain / Speculator Mine Memorial

On June 8, 1917, a foreman's carbide lamp accidentally ignited an oil-soaked electrical cable in the Granite Mountain shaft, turning it into a chimney and killing 168 men in the worst hard-rock mining disaster in U.S. history. This free hilltop memorial overlooks the deserted Granite Mountain headframe and the buried Speculator shaft, with flags of the 16 nations the dead came from and interpretive panels naming the victims. The Granite Mountain headframe is also frequently cited among the most haunted sites in town.

The move: Drive up to the overlook near dusk to read the victims' names and watch the light fade over the old mineyards and the city below.

📍 Before you go Free, open-access outdoor overlook on the hill above Butte's East Side; the access road can be rough and is best in daylight or early evening.

• 📍 Butte (above the East Side / mineyards)
• 💸 $$
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: Granite Mountain Memorial Overlook, Butte, MT 59701

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