Entry No. 37 — the Butte file — filed under: after-dark
Our Lady of the Rockies (Night Tour)
A 90-foot white statue of Mary stands on the Continental Divide directly above town, the fourth-tallest statue in the United States, built entirely by local volunteers and airlifted to the ridge in sections by an Army National Guard Skycrane helicopter. At night floodlights at her base make her glow nearly as bright as the full moon, visible for miles across the basin. From roughly June through October a tour bus is the only way up to the actual site (the road crosses private land), where you also reach the chapel and the Wall of Women monument. Tours depart from the Our Lady of the Rockies gift shop at 1707 Continental Dr., Butte.
The story
In 1979, Anaconda Company electrician Bob O'Bill made a vow: if his wife survived cancer, he would build a five-foot statue of the Virgin Mary in his yard. She recovered, but when he pitched the plan to his fellow Butte miners and tradesmen, the backyard project ballooned into a 90-foot steel monument. Welder Leroy Lee fabricated the entire statue out of scrap steel from old underground copper mines, working without formal engineering blueprints and relying solely on a small handheld model.
The timing coincided with local collapse. In 1983, Atlantic Richfield halted operations at the Berkeley Pit, cratering Butte's economy overnight. Unemployed miners and volunteers poured their energy into blasting a road and pouring a foundation on Saddle Rock, 8,500 feet up the Continental Divide. In December 1985, a Nevada Army National Guard Sikorsky Skycrane helicopter lifted the statue up the ridge piece by piece, fighting mountain wind gusts before lowering the final head section into place.
Because the road up Saddle Rock crosses private land, you cannot drive yourself up the mountain—the official seasonal tour bus is the only way through the gate. Going on an evening run puts an eerie spin on the monument: high-powered floodlights at the base illuminate 90 feet of white steel against the black sky, while the street grid of the mining basin sparkles 3,500 feet straight down.
What it's like
You board the tour bus at the gift shop on Continental Drive or the Butte Plaza Mall and spend the ride grinding up steep dirt switchbacks toward the East Ridge. At 8,500 feet elevation, the wind cuts through light layers and the temperature drops rapidly, so bring a heavy coat even in midsummer. Standing directly under 90 feet of bright floodlit steel in the pitch dark is disorienting, with the chapel, the Wall of Women monument, and the distant lights of Butte arrayed around you. Book early, as night runs during the June-to-October operating window sell out fast.
The move: Take the seasonal evening tour up the switchbacks to stand beside the floodlit statue, then look down on the lights of Butte sprawled across the mining basin below.
- 📍 Butte
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Continental Divide above Butte; tour bus departs from the Butte Plaza Mall, 3100 Harrison Ave, Butte, MT 59701
Hours: Added 2026-06-24 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Berkeley Pit Viewing Stand — Look down into an 800-foot-deep toxic flooded copper mine before riding the tour bus up to view the entire basin from 8,500 feet.
- Helsinki Bar (Helsinki Yacht Club) — Pair an after-dark mountain summit trip with drinks at a 1911 Finnish miners' bathhouse turned tavern in what remains of Finn Town.
- Rookwood Speakeasy — Follow up a high-altitude night view with a drink in a basement speakeasy sealed shut since Prohibition and hidden behind a coat closet.
Good to know
Can I drive my own car up to Our Lady of the Rockies?
No. The mountain road crosses private land behind locked gates. Access is strictly restricted to the official tour bus operating roughly from June through October.
Where do the tour buses depart from?
Tours depart from Butte, meeting at the Our Lady of the Rockies gift shop at 1707 Continental Drive or the Butte Plaza Mall at 3100 Harrison Avenue.
What else is at the summit site?
In addition to the 90-foot statue, the site features a small chapel with an observation deck and the Wall of Women monument, which displays personalized memorial tiles.
How high up is the statue located?
The statue stands 90 feet tall at an elevation of 8,500 feet on the Continental Divide, roughly 3,500 feet directly above the city of Butte.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Wikipedia · Official site · Atlas Obscura · visitbutte.com · swmontana.com
last checked: 2026-06-24