The Berkeley Pit was Butte’s first large-scale, truck-operated open-pit copper mine and remained in operation until mining ceased in 1982. By 1980, nearly 1.5 billion tons of material had been removed from the site, including more than 290 million tons of copper ore. The mine played a major role in earning Butte its historic nickname, “The Richest Hill on Earth.”
To create the Berkeley Pit, two communities and much of Butte’s once densely populated East Side were acquired and removed through land purchases. The Anaconda Mining Company purchased the homes, businesses, and school buildings of the working-class neighborhoods of Meaderville and McQueen, located east of the pit site.
Today, the Berkeley Pit measures approximately 7,000 feet long, 5,600 feet wide, and 1,600 feet deep from the north high wall below the Kelley Mine. Visitors can view the site from a designated observation platform overlooking the pit, which is now gradually filling with water.
The Berkeley Pit Viewing Stand is typically open from mid-May through mid-September. Depending on weather conditions, the attraction may open earlier in the season and remain open later into the fall.
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