How I Begin Property Research
Butte Montana has a wealth of resources that are readily available to the public regarding its extravagant past; documents, newspapers, books, naturalization records, photos… I could go on.
I like to do research on the buildings I renovate, live in, etc. It greatens my appreciation for the building, giving me insight into the lives that were lived there and the minds and hands that built it. Butte Historic Trust’s new house is no exception.
I like to begin my research at the Butte-Silver Bow Land Records Office. There, they have books of deeds going back to the late 1800s. With the help of BSB employees Roxie and Patsy, anyone who is new to deed research can thrive.
Deed research is a fun process in which you work your way backward. You start in a reference book that has deed transfers from present-day and back. Each entry has a note on where to find the location of the deed. For the deed books, this includes which book (there are a few hundred) and what page it’s recorded on. When you find the deed, you are able to confirm the transfer dates, the grantor (seller) and grantee (buyer), what properties they purchased (sometimes its multiple properties or only a portion of the property), and the type of deed. The type of deed can give you an idea of the circumstances surrounding the sale. Once I have recorded information going as far back as possible, I take that list of names and years and heat to the Butte Public Archives!
The Archives has an amazing wealth of resources. This is one of my favorite places in Butte. Not only because of the large number of historic documents that the public has access to but also because of the amazing atmosphere created in the building and the amazing staff! If you have not been to the Butte Public Archives, I highly recommend you go. They are located at 17 W Quartz Street and are open to the public Monday to Friday from 9 am-5 pm (aside from holidays). Their website also has many of their documents and resources on file. My favorite thing is the “random photo generator” which showcases different historic photos, many from the amazing local photographer, C. Owen Smithers.
You can find the Butte Public Archives online at https://buttearchives.org/
Left: First Page of 1900 Sandborn Maps. Right: Second Page of Butte, 1956 Sandborn Maps
I like to begin researching a property at the archives is in the Sandborn Maps, which are old insurance maps of buildings across the United States. (You can also access these on the Library of Congress’ website: https://www.loc.gov/collections/sanborn-maps) Sandborn maps contain street names, the material the buildings are made of, the type of building (dwelling, commercial, industrial), and more! Sandborn maps were not made every year. They are roughly every four years. Some are “cut and paste” in which the cartographer would literally cut out pieces of paper and paste them to an old Sandborn map to create an updated version. These are not always as accurate as the years when they would create a whole new map.
I usually start with 1900 and work my way backward if possible, and then go forward. The city limits changed throughout the years and the area that Sandborn Maps covered grew as time went on. So, as you travel back through time, you may find that a neighborhood wasn’t documented, as it was outside city limits. In the case of our new house, 1900 was the earliest our house was documented, though it was likely built between 1898 and 1900, it was simply outside city limits.
1903 Day Book at Butte Public Archives
From there, I head to the Day Books. These are documents of who paid property taxes for each property each year. Sometimes it’s the owner and sometimes it’s a tenant, and sometimes it none of the above. I am then able to use those names, the names from the deeds, and addresses from the Sandborn maps to research using the city directories.
Images of City Directories and Ads inside
From the first of Butte City Directories to 1927, they are organized by last name only. It is also typical for them to list only the man of the house. This is with the exception of boarding houses, widows, and such. In addition to the last and first names, listed are the address and the occupation of the resident. I love that the occupation of the residents are listed. You get to follow a small narrative of their journey through life. You can see them excel at their job through promotions, changes in careers, and can sometimes correlate it with events in Butte such as mining disasters, etc.
From 1928 on, you can do what is called a “reverse search”, which is when you look up an address to find its occupants. This is also helpful if a property served as a boarding house for a period of time, like BHT’s Jackson Street house, because you are often able to find the owner and other residents that rented rooms.
Left: Reverse Search. Right: Normal Search by Last Name
Once you have the names of residents for a property, you are able to search many other things, death records, birth record naturalization records, and so on, all the Butte Public Archives. They also have a subscription to newspapers.com, which has an extensive search engine to help you!
I believe property research is important if you want to celebrate the history of a building, whether it is still standing today or lost to time. A house is more than just a structure. You can often follow the narrative of societal change. You can see glimpses of a family or a person’s personality… from the layers of wallpaper to the type of trim they used and could afford. Research enables up to imagine what life was like for the occupants of a house with the facts that are uncovered.
To me, this is the most important part of a house; the story it is able to tell about the people who called it home. From the mansions on Park Street to the bungalows and miner’s cottages that surrounded mine yards and cover the hills of Uptown Butte, every house holds a story of the people who lived there, and that story is significant and is worthy of being told. From the rich man to the weary miner, the doctors and the widows, they all have tales that may have been lost to time and I love the opportunity to begin to uncover them. It is easy to give the glory of Butte to the Copper Kings, their riches, and the lasting visual impact through their buildings of Butte, but our city was built on the backs of the “average joe”, the immigrant, and the lower class. Their hidden stories must be found, and it’s so delightful to live in a town with such thorough records that are easily accessible to the public.