Our Lady of the Rockies

07/26/2024

This week Our Lady of the Rockies was lit in honor of these people:

SUNDAY, JULY 21, 2024
ESTHER FRANCONE. We love you and miss you every day. Love, Lois, Pete, Jenean, Matt, Jeremy, JJ, Will, Wyatt, Kobin, and Julia. Love you forever.
ANN MATULE, missing and thinking of you for 20 years now, Mom. You’re still bringing smiles to us when we remember your ways. Gone but never forgotten. Love always, Your Kids and Families

MONDAY, JULY 22, 2024
In loving memory of CONOR BOYLE on this most special day. You brought so much love into our lives. From Mom and Callie
Tonight’s lighting is dedicated to DICK PETERSON of Mesa, Arizona. Dick was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, as well as a dedicated educator and a coach to many children through the years. Our world needs more men like Dick Peterson to show what a truly good man is! Sixty-one years ago, Dick and his wonderful wife Sue, were married. They both have impacted many lives in an extremely positive way! Love, Sheila and Dave Uggetti

TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2024
In loving memory of our mom, grandma, and great grandma MARG OREN on her Birthday. We love and miss you. Jackie and Family
AVERIAL MALOUGHNEY. Av, it has been 1 year since you left us. Mike and your 2 boys and grandkids miss you so much. You are always in our thoughts and prayers. I know you are watching over us now that you are an angel. Love, Your Family
Tonight’s lighting is dedicated to BARB NALESKI. Barb was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, and school nurse who helped countless children. Barb loved unconditionally and will be deeply missed. Love, Sheila Uggetti

WEDNESDAY, JULY 24, 2024
Happy 96th Heavenly Birthday CARYL VENNIE SULLIVAN. We love and miss you. Love your Family
In loving memory of my two beautiful fraus, CHARLOTTE (7-24-2015)& OMI (7-24-2005). The years go by, but times together are untouchable. Love and kisses, Dan

THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2024
Your presence we miss, your memory we treasure, loving you always forgetting you never MARK BERG. Love and miss you, Mar, Jen, Matt and Jess
Happy Birthday my dear RANDY, I so miss you and love you. Please look after me and Harley, too. Love, Me
In loving memory to JUDY LAWRENCE with our deep sympathy and prayers. She was a special lady who always had a great smile. Nancy and Con Sullivan, Tina, Jody, and Amy
Sympathy to the family of BETTY KNOPEKE. Roy
In loving memory of MARK BERG. Forever Jims “Wingman” & Carol’s “Birthday Buddy). We miss the road trips, patio party’s & car shows, but especially miss your laughter, sense of humor and your everlasting friendship. “Tap er Light”. Bergie, “The Minute Man”. Jim and Carol Fogerty

If you would like to Light the Lady in honor of someone, please contact the gift shop at 406-782-1221.

07/23/2024

Our Lady’s History - with excerpts from Miracle on the East Ridge by Pat Kearney and photos from Memories of Our Lady of the Rockies by Joe H. Roberts.

On April 19th, 1981, Joe Roberts set a meeting for 7 pm in his office to discuss the statue project. Thirteen people attended that first meeting including Bob O'Bill, Al Beavis, and Anne Nettles. O'Bill explained his vision of building a small statue on the East Ridge to the group. He explained that they had checked into all the owners of the mining claims, received the surface rights from the Ossellos to build the statue on the Manilla Claim, and gotten the go-ahead from KXLF-TV to use their existing road to get up to where they would start constructing the new road. They had EPA approval from the Department of State Lands and a Small Miner's Exclusion Statement to do some blasting if it was needed.

During the meeting, Sheila Penaluna presented a photo of the proposed site with a drawing on it of what the Lady could look like on top of Saddle Rock. Sheila was a draftsperson for the Anaconda Company and in the photo, she showed that from the perspective of Butte, the statue would need to be 90 feet tall to be seen from town. It was decided that they would need to build a larger statue than originally thought.

There was also discussion about whether or not the statue should be a cross instead. After much back and forth Bob O'Bill reminded everyone that his original promise was to build a statue of Our Lady on the mountain and that's what he intended to do. The group also voted that funding should come from the people of Butte, so it was owned by the people of Butte and not by a company that could potentially tear it down, much like the Columbia Gardens had been torn down in 1973.

Not long after, on a Saturday morning, Bob O'Bill, Mike Cerise, Al Beavis, and Danny Ramirez went up the mountain to begin construction on the road. They went through rock, cut down trees and cleared brush, moved boulders larger than the bulldozer, rerouted when they found the ground was too wet due to underground springs, and slowly inched their way up to the statue site. The road construction was very slow and difficult. Some days they would cover a couple hundred yards; other days they were lucky to progress a few feet. Any rain would wipe out sections of the road and the crew would have to backtrack and repair.

In August, they finally reached the summit. "The road up the side of the mountain had been accomplished."

07/19/2024

In the Lady of the Rockies Gift Shop, you can find all sorts of fun gift ideas from Our Lady of the Rockies t-shirts and sweatshirts, statues, books, candles, rosaries and more!

Visit the Gift Shop in the Butte Plaza Mall from 9-5 and don't forget to book a tour to visit Our Lady on the East Ridge!

07/16/2024

Our Lady’s History - with excerpts from Miracle on the East Ridge by Pat Kearney and photos from Memories of Our Lady of the Rockies by Joe H. Roberts.

The final piece before construction could actually begin, was to obtain the rights to build the statue in the Saddle Rock area. Through their research, Bob O'Bill had discovered they wanted to build the statue on the Manilla Claim which the Cantor Corporation owned. The majority owners of that corporation were Guy Ossello and Guy Ossello Jr.

Bob O'Bill and Joe Roberts met with Guy Ossello Jr. about the potential of buying or leasing the property so they could build a statue on it. They were met with skepticism, but Guy agreed to discuss the proposal with the joint owners of the property. Later that week, Bob and Joe met with Guy again at his office and Guy agreed to give them the surface rights to the property so the statue could be built.

So now they had the mining claims needed for the project and a road all staked out to get to the site. They had the equipment to construct the road and Joe Roberts' equipment yard as the space to build the statue.

Then they ran into a snag...

They had to get approval from the Environmental Protection Agency before the Anaconda Company could loan them the equipment to build the road. So Bob O'Bill tapped Art Korn who had worked with many state agencies as the manager for the Bert Mooney Airport. In less than 6-weeks they had approval from the EPA and the Department of State Lands. (Something of a miracle) Bob O'Bill even signed a small miner's claim to allow them to mine rock for the base of the statue from the area.

Now they were ready to officially meet and start the project.

Stay tuned for more history of Our Lady and don’t forget to schedule a tour to see her in person!

07/12/2024

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram! We'll be sharing more history, tour information, and Butte events!

https://www.instagram.com/ourladyoftherockies_butte/

07/11/2024

Folk Fest is this weekend!! Are you ready for this awesome music festival in Butte?

It's going to be a hot one out there. Make sure to stay hydrated and wear your sunscreen.

If you'd like to visit Our Lady during the weekend, give us a call at 406-782-1221 and reserve your spot on the tour bus!

Have a fabulous festival!

As the Lakota say Mni Wiconi -- Water is Life.

We will have five water refill stations at the Montana Folk Festival to help attendees stay hydrated in the summer heat. Fill your water bottle with Butte’s excellent drinking water at any of the five water refill stations located throughout the Montana Folk Festival site.

Butte’s high-quality tap water comes from three sources: Basin Creek Reservoir, Big Hole River, and the Moulton Reservoir.
Originating in the forests and mountains outside Butte, clean drinking water is filtered and tested by Butte-Silver Bow Water Utility Service. In recent years, Butte has spent more than $40 million to build a state-of-the-art treatment plant and overhaul its 100-year-old drinking water infrastructure and underground piping. The result is delicious water delivered safely throughout the community.

Single-use plastic bottles can be costly, unsafe to reuse as a water bottle, and have negative impacts on our environment. Recycling plastic bottles is a challenge in Montana. Even if they land in a recycling bin, plastic bottles are “downcycled” – meaning they can only be reprocessed so many times before they are sent to a landfill where they can take up to a thousand years to decompose.
You can avoid single-use plastic bottles by bringing your own reusable water bottle or by purchasing one at the festival. The Festival’s water refill stations are free to use, which means more money for food, beer, or even a donation to keep this Festival going.

Have any questions or want to learn more about Butte’s tap water and sustainability at the Festival? Find a Clean Water Ambassador at any of the refill stations on the site and they will be happy to provide more information. So come on down, say hi, and learn how you can make a difference one bottle of water at a time.

This year the stations are made possible thanks to the support and sponsorship of Patagonia Corporation’s Dillon Outlet, Big Hole Watershed Committee, Clearwater Credit Union and Butte Water Division.

07/09/2024

Our Lady’s History - with excerpts from Miracle on the East Ridge by Pat Kearney

As the search for the owners of the mining claims continued, Bob O'Bill was introduced to Joe Roberts through a coworker, Anne Nettles, a secretary in the main office at the Anaconda Company. Joe Roberts was the owner of Roberts Rocky Mountain Equipment and had his equipment yard not far from where O'Bill lived. Bob went to speak to Joe about helping with the project and Joe asked him all sorts of questions like "Where are you going to get the money for the project? Where are you going to get the equipment to build it? And why not build a beautiful large statue maybe 60 feet tall so you could see it from anywhere in Butte?"

At this point, Bob O'Bill didn't have answers to many of Joe's questions and was still thinking about a small four- or five-foot statue in the mountains. But Joe Roberts got him thinking about the prospect of it being visible from all over Butte. He also pointed out the benefits of the statue being non-denominational instead of being associated with the Catholic church. "Even though I'm a Catholic," he said, "I believe it's important that we include all religions and faiths because we will need them all to finish this project."

In the spring of 1980, Bob took a ride up the mountain with Al Beavis, Mike Cerise, and Paddy Regan to begin the search for a place to build a road. They walked all over the ridge from The KXLF-TV towers to Saddle Rock. As they surveyed for the road, they had to be careful not to cross any Forest Service property and were also hunting for fine sand to serve as the roadbed. In the fall of 1980, they placed the final survey stakes for where the road would go.

Stay tuned for more history of Our Lady and don’t forget to schedule a tour to see her in person!

📸 by Lela Rae Designs

07/08/2024

Our Gift Shop is a treasure trove of unique gift ideas. Books, candles, postcards, charms, and even pillows!

This week, our Butte pillows are 30% off! Add these to your home furnishing collection to show off your Butte pride, or gift them to someone who loves Butte as much as we do. Several sizes and designs are available.

Visit us at the Lady of the Rockies Gift Shop in the Butte Plaza Mall and check them out!

07/04/2024

Happy Independence Day from Our Lady of the Rockies!



📸 by Lela Rae Designs

07/03/2024

Yesterday the Butte Chamber of Commerce unveiled the new puzzle celebrating Butte! Eric Dowdle Art & Puzzles, a renowned artist and puzzle creator, created this beautiful and colorful puzzle artwork. He worked on this vibrant piece for over a year, capturing Butte's epic history, scenery and yes, even Our Lady of the Rockies!

The puzzle is available at the Butte Chamber of Commerce and the Berkeley Pit viewing stand. If you're a puzzle enthusiast, or just a lover of Butte, this is a must have!

07/02/2024

Our Lady’s History - with excerpts from Miracle on the East Ridge by Pat Kearney

When Bob O’Bill first proposed this idea of building a statue to Our Lady to his daughters, they thought he was crazy. Bob’s wife had a similar reaction. But they also knew that once he set his mind on something, there was no changing it.

The first person O’Bill talked to about helping with the statue was Danny Ramirez, a fellow worker at the Berkeley Pit and the person who had told him about Our Lady of Guadalupe in the first place. Danny pointed out that if they wanted to build on the East Ridge, they needed to know who owned the property.

What ensued was a long search to track down the owners of the various mining claims on the East Ridge. Bob started with a friend at the Forest Service Dean Reed and then Jim Davis at the County Treasurer’s office to seek out the landowners. Along the way, Bob elicited the help of several friends and coworkers at the Anaconda Company. Many people reacted favorably to his “crazy idea,” but many others reacted negatively and outright laughed at his scheme.

Stay tuned for more history of Our Lady and don’t forget to schedule a tour to see her in person!

06/28/2024

Shoutout to 5518 designs for our brand new Lady of the Rockies design! We love this simple and clean design depicting Our Lady up on the East Ridge. Thank you for creating these for us!

You can find this design on tees and sweatshirts in our gift shop. We're open 7 days a week through September from 9am-5pm.

06/25/2024

Our Lady’s History - with excerpts from Miracle on the East Ridge by Pat Kearney

Our Lady of the Rockies began as a promise.

On December 28th, 1979, Bob O’Bill made a promise that he would build a statue in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe overlooking the city of Butte, if his wife’s health was restored. His wife, Joyce, was set to undergo a very risky surgery the next morning after dealing with severe health issues for more than three years.

Once he made this promise, Bob O’Bill thought about how he could fulfill it. He thought about placing a small five foot statue on a mining claim he owned in the Highland Mountains south of Butte. Or maybe in his backyard or a city park so the people of Butte could see it.

But the next morning when he opened the door to get the morning paper, inspiration struck: “The bright sun-rays hit O'Bill smack in the eyes as he quickly raised his arm up to shield his face from the glowing light. He looked up at the magnificent mountain range and spotted Saddle Rock, a rock formation on top of the mountain near the middle section of the East Ridge. For a brief moment, O'Bill just stared up at Saddle Rock, taking in all its enormous beauty. "You know," he thought to himself, "That would be a perfect spot to put the statue of Our Lady. I could make a small little statue of her and put it up on Saddle Rock which might be an ideal location.” O’Bill liked the idea.”

Stay tuned for more history of Our Lady and don’t forget to schedule a tour to see her in person!

06/24/2024

Montana Folk Festival needs volunteers! This is a great way to experience this amazing event in our hometown. Please consider volunteering, and check out the lineup of incredible artists coming to our city!

The Montana Folk Festival Please plan to join us in Butte, Montana on July 12-14, 2024. The Montana Folk Festival will remain a new and exciting event each year at the same time it remains very familiar to anyone who has attended in previous years. The Montana Folk Festival will continue to feature....

06/20/2024

Our Lady of the Rockies sits at 8,510 feet above sea level on the East Ridge. It's the perfect vantage point to look out over Butte from 3,500 feet above the town. She looks pretty small sitting up on the ridge, but her base is 32x34 feet and she stands 90 feet tall. Her head alone is 16 feet tall and 10 feet wide.

If you'd like to stand beside the Lady and see just how tall she is, schedule one of our tours! We offer daily tours throughout the summer at 10am and 2pm, and we're now offering evening tours at 6pm if you call ahead to book a reservation.

06/18/2024

Our brand new Instagram account is up and running! Please go and follow us .

And share with any friends and family that are visiting this summer! We'll be sharing information about our tours, the history of the Lady and more!

https://www.instagram.com/ourladyoftherockies_butte/

06/17/2024

Our 2024 tour season is off to a great start! If you're visiting the Butte area on your summer adventures, come visit us!

We offer tours to visit Our Lady of the Rockies all summer at 10:00 am, 2:00 pm, and an evening tour at 6:00 pm (by request only). All tours are weather permitting and there are large group tours are available. Please call us at the gift shop to book your reservations: 406-782-1221.

02/27/2024

Lady of the Rockies is looking for a 10 to 14 passenger handicap van. If by chance you have one or know of someone that has one to sell, please call 406-782-1221. Please share this post

01/05/2024

Selected Christmas ornaments and gifts all 35% off.

09/19/2023

TOUR SEASON HAS BEEN A SUCCESS AGAIN. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED PROMOTE OUR LADY. WE ARE STARTING TO FEEL A CHILL IN THE AIR AND THE TOURS ARE STILL RUNNING THROUGH SEPTEMBER UNTIL THE SNOW FLIES. IT'S NOT TO LATE TO BOOK YOUR TOUR! THANK YOU BUTTE AND ALL THE SURROUNDING CITIES AS WELL AS OUT OF COUNTRY VISITORS. WE COULD NOT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU

09/19/2023

LIGHT THE LADY

NEW SHOP HOURS

11am- 4pm closed Sunday. Have lights to our office

One week prior to publish date; lights run

Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays

Phone- 406-782-1221

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2023

RAY PASCOE. Enjoy your coffee klatches. Mary Lou



In loving memory of HERB WILLIS on the 9th Anniversary of his passing. We miss your warm smile and pleasant time that we spent with you dad. We look forward to when we can be with you again in Heaven. The Willis Family

SEPTEMBER 18- BERKLIE MAE, sending Birthday, Anniversary Hugs, Kisses and Luvs. To you! Forever Loved; Forever Missed! Your Families





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NEW SHOP HOURS

11am- 4pm closed Sunday. Have lights to our office

One week prior to publish date; lights run

Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays

Phone- 406-782-1221

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2023

BRAD, the warmth of you smile still shines on. Happy Birthday, we miss and love you. Forevermore, Robin, Brittany, Mike, Jace, Holt, Lauren, Galen, Gehrig. Delaney and Rhian

RAY PASCOE. Thanks for being my friend all these years. Mary Lou

07/26/2022