Zena Beth McGlashan | Buried in Butte
Published: August 2, 2010
Take an engrossing trip through Butte’s final resting places with Zena Beth McGlashan’s well-researched book. The author, a Butte native, explains the origins of the city’s many cemeteries, which evolved from a mix of politics, religion, money and culture, and the location of the next ore strike.
We learn that around 1920, Butte had seven mortuaries, and the average commission for the undertaker was five dollars. At one time, no saloons were allowed within 1,000 feet of a cemetery, to show respect for the dead.
The 377-page book, plus almost 70 pages of notes, a bibliography and index, includes fascinating photographs and copies of newspaper advertisements.
A rich and detailed portrait of life in Butte can be gleaned from accounts of death in the city. The author relates family histories, circumstances of death, and funeral details for many of its citizens whose burial monuments can still be seen today.
Moving forward in history, McGlashan tells about the crew who moved the pauper’s section of a cemetery in 1982 to make way for the airport expansion, and the tragic plane crash in Holy Cross cemetery in 2009.
She also talks about the expense and difficulties involved in cemetery maintenance.
Although the famous Copper Kings weren’t buried in Butte, one of the city’s most colorful and famous denizens is laid to rest in the Mining City, and his grave is a popular tourist attraction – Robert Craig Knievel, or Evel Knievel, a world-class motorcycle stuntman and adventurer.
The author is a freelance writer, editor and newspaper journalist. She has taught at universities in California, Iowa, Pennsylvania, North Dakota and Texas. Her book was published by Words and Ink Publishing in Butte and sells for $24.95 paperback.
– Judy Shafter
