Let’s Talk Butte with John Emmett Murphy


John Emmett Murphy shares some stories from an oral history recording in this episode of Let’s Talk Butte. He talks about his ancestors coming to Walkerville in the late nineteenth century, covers some dramatic family history, and later describes his work at the Columbia Gardens as a junior in high school. Tune in for this fascinating look at our city of Butte, Montana through the eyes of this one family.

Today on Let’s Talk Butte, we hear excerpts of an oral history recorded at the Butte-Silver Bow Archives as part of the Verdigris Project. John Emmett Murphy is our guest today, and his family has roots in Montana going back to the late 19th century. We begin the show with the tale of his grandfather’s journey to Montana territory. John Murphy later went on to work at the Berkeley Pit, serve in Vietnam, and had a long career at Montana Power. On this episode, we’ll stick with stories from John’s childhood and hear about his summer job at the Columbia Gardens, along with stories from his family’s past.

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