Stalwart GuardianThe Bell Diamond head frame standing bold. Butte, Montana. October 18, 2019.

WOW!

It doesn't seem that my last blog was posted clear back in March. Amazingly, April has slipped by and now most of May. We are sneaking up on Memorial Day and its typical mixed weather somewhere between thunderstorms and snow.

The 2022 Head Frames, Photographer Picks, and Montana Parks calendars are at the printers and I am waiting on proofs. It won't be long now.

The Bell-Diamond head frame stands at the top of the Butte Hill and (even though it is not the tallest) stands out best when viewed from many Summit Valley locations. Most of the other frames tend to blend into their surroundings. When the light is good, you notice the Bell.

The Bell-Diamond, operated 1882-1928. The main shaft is 3,609 feet deep and underground workings connected the Bell Mine (its shaft was about 500 feet away) to the Diamond Mine. Bell's frame was one of the earliest steel frames on the Butte Hill, was built in about 1890, and is 90+/- feet tall. It is the only gallus frame in Butte to sport curved gussets at its major structural joints that give it a 'leaning into the wind' look.

Thanks for reading!