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History · Butte

Butte’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Butte. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

1906established
0old images & papers
2recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Butte is a city in McLean County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 70 at the 2020 census. Butte was founded in 1906.

Butte was established in 1906. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 68 to 70 (+3%). Half of its homes were built before 1953.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Butte yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

Be one of the first

Start Butte’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Butte’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from ButteWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Butte.Meet them →
By decade

Butte, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today2 photos
CO-OP Butte, North Dakota 10-17-2008CommonsCO-OP Butte, North Dakota 10-17-20082008NDMap-doton-ButteCommonsNDMap-doton-Butte2004
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Butte is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Butte has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Semevolos Farm in Dogden, 2.6 miles away.

Butte and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Butte. Tap a dot.
Semevolos FarmLiberty Baptist ChurchHotel BerryAlfred and Clara Sevareid HouseWestgaard BridgeNorway Lutheran Church and Cemetery

Closest to Butte

Semevolos FarmDogden · Building2.6miLiberty Baptist ChurchLand · Building6.7miHotel BerryVelva · Building19.7miAlfred and Clara Sevareid HouseVelva · Built 191319.8miWestgaard BridgeHendrickson · Structure20.3mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Semevolos Farm’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Butte?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Butte’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Dogden📜 Cottonwood Lake📜 Olivia📜 Kief

From Wikimedia Commons (2). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

We left the porch light on

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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