Growing up in a small town in Montana was never anything to brag about, or so I thought. I had always despised the empty, decrepit place in which I spent more than 17 years, not knowing until I left, that I would secretly miss it every day.
I am the type of person who dreams about how New York City looks at night or the way the pristine, clear blue waters surrounding Bora Bora would feel against my bare feet. I have an insane desire to travel the world, and unfortunately, never being outside the country has been a major setback to that dream. I blame my negative, predisposed opinion of Butte, Montana, the town I grew up in, for my urge to be surrounded by palm trees and the fact that I wasn't exposed to many different places as a kid.
High school for me, like many teenagers, was a hard time in my life. Attempting to maintain friendships from middle school to trying to fit in with the fellow members of the spirit squad I joined my junior year, was anything but easy. I blamed all of my high school troubles on the town I was in and since I knew everything when I was 16, believed that if I lived anywhere else, my life would be better. I couldn't have been more wrong.
In college you meet plenty of diverse people from all over the world. Usually, the first question they ask is your name followed by "where are you from?" Every time I'd reply with "Butte, Montana," the dirty looks were immeasurable. I'd get comments such as: "that's the creepy ghost town, right?" or "isn't that the place with dirty water?" and above all, my favorite: "I thought Butte was extremely contaminated because of the toxic waste pit?" I was always embarrassed and had some smart remark about how unfortunate growing up in Butte was.
What I didn't realize all those years, was how lucky I am to be from a unique place in Montana. It is one of the absolute best places to experience all four seasons. Not to mention, growing up, both Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks were only a car trip and few hours drive away. The fact that I can say I'm from a creepy, haunted ghost town full of abandoned buildings and underground tunnels is pretty badass. To top it off, it's the hometown of Evel Knievel, that in and of itself is something to brag about.
At normal high school basketball games students chant things such as "let's go wildcats!" in Butte, you can find us cheering "it's our water" hinting that our "dirty water" makes our players so much better. Breaking into an abandoned old hospital, sitting in parked cars in parking lots with our friends, and taking walks in the mountains were just a few of the things we did to pass the time.
There is nothing average about the way Butte's residents celebrate, in fact, extraordinary boundaries are pushed for events such as the 4th of July and St. Patrick's Day. If there is anything I've learned from that town, it is how to throw a good party. The celebrations in Butte are endless.
Even though it may look a little rough on the outside, there is so much beauty and compassion inside each of the individuals who live there. Butte coined the nickname "the richest hill on earth," due to the fact it was the home of one of the largest mining operations of the 19th century. If you ask me, I'd say the nickname has more to do with how lucky or "rich" you are, to be from Butte, knowing so many amazing people. Montana really is "the last, best place", and Butte really is home to some of the most beautiful, headstrong, and hard-working people in the Northwest.
So all I have left to say is that I'm sorry, for not realizing how unique and special our little town really is, and thank you Butte, Montana; you have given me the most important and precious of memories. I have a newfound appreciation for my small hometown, as well as each and every one of the people I have met there, who have all made a tremendous impact on the person I am today. I will always be proud to be from the town with the toxic pit and dirty water.
#WeAreButteTough
