Thompson Park – A Butte and Montana Treasure
Thompson Park is a place of pride for folks of the “Mile High City” of Butte. It came to life through the generosity of mining engineer, financier, philanthropist, and self-made millionaire William Thompson. Born in Virginia City in 1869 and raised in Butte. In 1917, he gifted 75 acres of placer mining claims to the town to establish a park. In 1922, federal land that was part of the then Deerlodge National Forest was added to the original parcel by Congress, not to exceed 3,500 acres, and designated as a Municipal Recreation Area. Thompson Park is the only congressionally authorized Municipal Recreation Area in the National Forest system.
Just south of the Montana Hwy 2-Continental Drive intersection and about ten miles from town is the north edge of the park boundary. From here, signs near Sagebrush Flats lead to the central passage, a 4.5-mile-long trail, the Milwaukee Road, that follows the former rail bed of the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad (Milwaukee Road). From “the Flats,” it ascends gently to Pipestone Pass and the Continental Divide, connecting with the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail at the pass.
Following the Milwaukee Road, a person will travel through two tunnels, one 550 feet long and the other 1100 feet in length, and cross a 650-feet long, 130-feet high trestle. Unique geology is on display throughout as this region is in the heart of the Boulder Batholith formation, an igneous intrusion responsible for the mineralization of southwest Montana.
On the west side of Highway 2, many other trails connect to this main stem and longer routes east of Hwy 2 such as Blacktail Canyon, Skeeboggan, Blacktail Ridge, and Beaver Pond trails offer more backcountry experiences. In aggregate, 30 miles of non-motorized trails provide summer routes for hiking, horseback and mountain bike riding; and 14 miles of winter biking, backcountry skiing, and snowshoeing. Six separate well-placed trailheads allow easy access. The Herman Gulch Trail is a motorized route located in a small section of the park to connect to the Highland Mountain Range and other motorized roads on the forest.
From the start countless volunteer hours creating Thompson Park brought the Butte community together. Citizen’s helped develop scenic roads, trails, and picnic areas. In 1935 over 250 local Works Progress Administration workers, the Boy Scouts of America, Rotary, Lion’s, and Kiwanis clubs assisted with the establishment of the park.
Revamping of this Butte treasure in the 1960s was done by the federal Neighborhood Youth Program. They spent significant time rebuilding many of the picnic areas. After another 50 years of use, in 2007, Thompson Park was ready for another makeover. The City County of Butte-Silver Bow, in partnership with the Beaverhead-Deerlodge, received a grant from the Natural Resource Damage
Program to rehabilitate the park and protect natural resources. This rehabilitation was essential to maintaining the thriving place we see today. Workers built new picnic sites, trails, roads, and the
Milwaukee Railroad Rails to Trails Route.
To gather more information, access the Butte-Silver Bow Chamber of Commerce website.
