"We Came Here to Make a Pile"

Dale Martin provides examples of recurring episodes of boom—and the unanticipated aftermath of busts—that brought rapid changes to Montana's landscapes and communities. Most of this sudden rise and fall resulted from events and trends—changes in technology, distant markets, and two world wars—that occurred far beyond Montana's borders. Living in Butte in the 1980s, Martin witnessed firsthand the tumultuous hopes and disappointments of a mining town. Presented at the 2013 Montana History Conference in Sidney.