Lexington Stamp Mill and Gardens

The Old Lexington Stamp Mill was Butte's first stamp mill. It began as a five stamp mill and was erected on the site by Charles Hendrie in 1867. A stamp mill is an ore crushing machine that pounds rock into fine sand. Today this historic site has been used for the restoration of the Columbia Garden's Butterfly. Columbia Gardens was an elegant, old-fashioned amusement park which provided fun and amusement to Butte families for generations. Columbia Gardens featured botanical gardens, amusement rides, and a dance pavilion. In 1973 Columbia Gardens, like so much of Butte, was swallowed up in an expansion of the open pit mines. The 30 by 40 foot Butterfly will be reproduced for the city in the historic district with historic artifacts and interpretive signage that is surrounded by landscaped gardening.