If you grew up in Butte before the 70s, you may remember a time when Montana’s first and only amusement park entertained the locals for days on end. It was called Columbia Gardens, and people who spent time there remember it quite fondly. And even though it has been gone for decades, the park is still sorely missed by those who used to love it.

Columbia Gardens was built by a mining mogul named William Andrews Clark. It was meant to be a gift to the city.
Butte-Silver Bow Public Library / Flickr
Life was tough at the turn of the century in Butte. The mining life was full of long, difficult hours in dangerous situations. The amusement park brought joy to the stressed out families and allowed them to make beautiful memories together.
The amusement park was active from 1896-1973.
Butte-Silver Bow Public Library / Flickr
It had a roller coaster, beautiful hand carved carousel horses, and plenty of carnival games.

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In the fall of 1973, tragedy struck.
Butte-Silver Bow Public Library / Flickr
Columbia Gardens was destroyed by a devastating fire in November of 1973. Technically the park had closed in September, but there was talk of either relocating it or reopening it eventually. The fire eliminated those hopes.
The Montanans who were lucky enough to visit Columbia Gardens say it was a magical place.
Photo Credit
It was impossible to have a bad day when you visited the Gardens.
In 1996, a group of volunteers in Butte gathered with the goal of creating a tribute to Columbia Gardens.
Spirit of Columbia Gardens Carousel Facebook
For the last 20 years, they’ve been working on weekends with donated funds to create the Spirit of Columbia Carousel at Stodden Park. The carousel is modeled after the original Columbia Gardens carousel and includes 34 hand-carved and hand-painted horses.

The Columbia Gardens amusement park remains a treasured part of Butte’s history. Check out these historical photos to see how much Montana has changed in the last century.

 

 

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