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HISTORIC HOMES TOURS Past tours have showcased some of the prestigious and historic homes on Butte's west side, including the John D. Ryan home on Excelsior Street (right). Built about 1890, this home is dominated by Classic Revival columns — common on Butte mansions of the day — and was initially the residence of Thomas Hodgens, an officer of the State Savings Bank. John D. Ryan (left,  photo courtesy of Butte-Silver Bow Archives), born in 1864, the son of a Michigan miner, moved into the house in 1905, the year after he went to work for the Anaconda Company. Within just 4 years he rose to head the company, heavily involved in the fights with F. Augustus Heinze to consolidate the Anaconda's control of the mines as well as the battles with union activists to control the miners. He shrewdly helped found the Montana Power Company, and led both the Anaconda and Montana Power until his death in 1933. He had lost much of a multi-million-dollar fortune in the stock crash of 1929, but he was often recalled as the "last copper king." William O'Brien constructed the rear wing on Ryan's home in 1915, at a cost of $15,000.  The twin Queen Ann homes (left) on Granite near Excelsior have also been featured on CPR tours. Dating to 1890, these mirror images were built for Andrew Jackson Davis, a prominent Butte banker (founder of the First National Bank, among other things) and his brother John. Andrew Jackson Davis, Butte's first millionaire, died in 1890, and had little time to enjoy his home. John's son, also named Andrew Jackson Davis, succeeded his uncle at the helm of the First National Bank, serving there until his death in 1941. |