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History
From 1899 to 1973, the mining community of Butte, Montana
had one bright spot in an otherwise, mostly industrial drab
environment. The community enjoyed a beautiful park and
playground area known as The Columbia Gardens. This
amusement park was the crown jewel of the garden spot . At
the center stone of the amusement park was a glorious
carousel complete with hand-carved horses, a band organ,
hand-carved chariots, and an elegant canopy with hand-carved
mirror frames and gargoyles.
The carousel consisted of 42 beautifully hand-carved and
ornately painted horses. The carousel was purchased for the
people of Butte by W. A. Clark in 1923. W. A. Clark was one
of the Copper Kings of the late 1800s and early 1900s. He
made his fortune in the mines of Butte. He returned to the
one-company town some pleasure by the development of the
Columbia Gardens and the purchase of such things as the
carousel. Hand-painted carousels were an art form developed
in the United States by such men as A. B. Hershell and W.
Spillman, and utilizing the talents of the many immigrants
who came to America at that time.
The people of Butte enjoyed the Park and the Carousel more
than any other pastime. Generations of families, many of
them immigrants, those who came from Europe to work in the
mines, played and laughed and delighted in this beautiful
spot.
In 1973, Columbia Gardens and all the beautiful amusement
park equipment was unceremoniously torn down by a large
company to make room for more open-pit mining. Very little
was saved, and an attempt to start Columbia Gardens II in
1975-76 failed. Some of the playground equipment has since
been relocated to Clark Park. The citizens were given one
last chance to touch the beautifully hand-painted horses and
to take one more ride. Before anything more could be done or
before one more person could protest, the carousel
mysteriously burned down in 1973, the same year the Columbia
Gardens was closed. Some say it was an accident, some say
not. Butte people were angry and sad about losing the
Gardens, but also knew a great deal about making
sacrifices.
Now, due to the efforts of a Butte native, and many
hard-working volunteers, our new Foundation "The Spirit of
Columbia Gardens Carousel," is working vigorously to build a
new hand-carved, ornately painted and decorated carousel for
the citizens of all ages of this community. We are learning
the skills needed to create such a work of art and we are
utilizing the talents of many volunteers to fill the spaces
at the carving table, the meeting rooms, the telephone
trees, and in historical research, technical research and
fund raising.
Our carousel will depict the historical and ethnic past of
our community and of its citizens who have resided here for
generations. It also will celebrate our present and will be
built to give pleasure to many generations to come.