Big Hole Pump Station, Old Highway 43, Divide, Silver Bow County, MT

The address has been updated from "Old Highway #43" to "816 Pumphouse Road (Old Highway 43)."
Significance: The Big Hole Pump Station and original rock-filled crib dam were constructed in 1899. Butte Water Company constructed the project to pump water from the Big Hole River, a pristine water supply located more than 27 miles from Butte, over the Continental Divide and into town. A concrete diversion dam and settling basin were constructed ca. 1929 to replace the original crib
dam. The entire system serves as an ongoing solution to the water supply problem faced by the mining industry and residential communities of Butte in the late nineteenth century.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N1579
Survey number: HAER MT-34
Building/structure dates: 1899 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1906 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1953-1954 Subsequent Work
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 80002432