A friend sent me this…I’ve seen it before but thought it might make a good post.  Butte Rats are people who grew up in–or officially adopted as their hometown–Butte, Montana.  

Butte, Montana   

  •  Home of the world’s largest body of contaminated water (the world’s largest Superfund site)
  •  Lots of people would generally be embarassed by having the largest body of contaminated water in the world, but not those Butte folks, they set up a veiwing stand.
  • A 90 foot lighted statue of the Virgin Mary atop the Continental Divide
  • A brothel that closed in 1991
  • It’s Pasty not pastry
  • How’s she go?” is proper English
  • You learned how to make beer in sophomore Montana history class
  • St. Patrick’s Day is the biggest holiday of the year
  • The bouncers at the bars are high school teachers
  • When the M&M closed we all cried
  • Driving is better in the winter because potholes are filled with snow
  • A high of -10 is a little chilly
  • Our sheriff failed his firearm test
  • Stop signs optional
  • Even our principals belong to a union
  • High schoolers hang out at a bar at lunch
  • The highest concentration of radon in the valley happens to be the same place as the high school
  • Hell Roarin’ Gulch is THE elementary school fieldtrip
  • The Columbia Gardens hold childhood memories, even if you were born after 1979
  • You could see the Travona, Mountain Con and Anselmo head frames from your math class
  • Every July we spend a week celebrating hometown daredevil Evel Kneivel (who robbed convenience stores when growing up in Butte)
  • Every state politician running for election shows up for Butte’s Fourth of July parade…not Billings, not Missoula…not even Helena
  • No open container law
  • We’re the most economically depressed city in the state ranked 50th in the nation economically yet we raised $150,000 in a week to save our fireworks display on Big Butte
  • Driving cars down the main drag is a universal high school experience.
  • School is almost empty during the time of state sporting events.
  • High school students consider “chillin’ at wal*mart” a normal thing to do.
  • You get passed while you are driving 75 mph.
  • Butte High School still has a senior skip day.
  • North Dakota jokes are heard daily
  • If you see a fight, you stop– to watch and cheer the people on…never to break them up.
  • In this hell of town, everyone knows someone named Murph, if you don’t know a Murph, you know a Mac, and finally if you don’t know a Mac, then you must know a Sully.
  • Citizens consider swearing in public perfectly acceptable.
  • Kids under the age of 17 can get into any R rated movie at the Plaza 6.
  • The high school cheering section shouts out profanities, and the parents think its hilarious and join in.
  • Tap ‘er Light!