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| Butte MT |
| Part 6 |
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| The original St. Mary�s was at 713 N. Wyoming, below the tracks in what was known as �Pork Town�. It was a wood frame structure with a gabled steeple and tall windows. In a history of St. Mary�s recorded by Rev. Michael Hannan, and dated 1917; the priest reports that with the appointment of Father English as pastor, St. Mary's became a reality. In the beginning, there was some resistance within the community to building the church. A petition was even circulated saying the church was unnecessary. When Daniel Hennessy of Hennessy�s Department Store was approached to sign the petition, he refused stating: �Indeed, I will not sign any such paper. A church and school in that district are badly needed and if Father English will come to me I will give him $500.00.� So, Daniel Hennessy spearheaded a committee securing the ground for the new church. Ground was broken in Spring 1903 and on the first Sunday in October of that year, the Feast of the Holy Rosary, St. Mary�s was blessed. Reverend Hannan goes on further to report that school opened in the church basement in September 1904 with three Sisters of Charity on loan from St. Patrick�s. School consisted of infant classes to 4th grade with 220 in attendance. In 1905 Bishop Carroll came to inspect the Butte schools and ordered Father English to erect a proper school building, which he did. The three story, 12 classroom building opened in September 1906 with 525 pupils. On August 31, 1931 a fire destroyed the beautiful old church. A second St. Mary�s, at 434 N. Main, replaced the original sanctuary and came with a $70,000 price tag. Until recently, this second St. Mary�s served as the headquarters for �Our Lady of the Rockies� tours. |
| The late 90s saw the advent to Butte of our Whalen branch. Michael , a.k.a. �Bulldog� Whalen, arrived in Butte with wife Mary Daugherty Whalen, two sons Thomas and James, and daughters Kate and Mary. The only birth record I have for any of Michael�s children comes from Negaunee, Michigan and states that Kate Whalen was born to Michael and Mary Daugherty Whalen on August 22, 1889. Although I�ve tried to secure a birth record for daughter Mary, my grandmother, I have been unsuccessful. Family sources, census, and her death certificate indicate she was born in Michigan but the State insists they have no record for her. Also arriving via Michigan with Michael Whalen and Mary Daugherty Whalen was Mary's daughter Margaret McMullen Satterthwaite. Referred to in Michael's obituary as his daughter, it was initially thought that Margaret Satterthwaite was the daughter of both Michael and Mary. Further research indicates that Mary Daugherty Whalen gave birth to Margaret while residing in Cleator Moor, Cumbria, England several years prior to even meeting Michael Whalen. Whether by accident or deliberately, young Margaret has been erroneously misrepresented in a number of Census. The poor young woman didn't even know who to put as her mother when, in 1890, she married Robert Satterthwaite in Negaunee, Michigan. According to the 1895 City Directory Michael Whalen settled his family in the Centerville area of Butte. He was a proud member of the working class and diehard Anaconda man. He was also a loyal member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians; having first joined this fraternal order while living in Negaunee, Michigan. Upon his death he would be buried from St. Mary�s Church having never come down the hill from his original home at number 24, on the winding East Summit Road. |
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| Bishop Brondell (left) and his successor, Bishop Carroll (right), Diocese of Helena, which included Butte, Montana. During Bishop Carroll's episcopy, the building of Catholic churches and schools skyrocketed. |
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| Twain's Tour -- Butte, America! In 1895, newspaperman and famous writer Samuel Longhorn Clemens, aka Mark Twain, began a tour of America in an effort to stave off personal bankruptcy. The tour started in Ohio in July, 1895 and on August 1, 1895, Mark Twain entertained a rapt audience at John Maguire's Opera House in Butte. It's rumored he withdrew to the Silver Bow Club following a reception to indulge in a few drinks and stogies. Twain was impressed with Butte, saying of its people: "..beautiful audience. Compact, intellectual and dressed in perfect taste. It surprised me to find this London-Parisian-New York audience out in the mines". Ah, the many faces of Butte! |
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