BUTTE — When you hit rock bottom in the early days of Butte, you’d likely end up in what was called the Cabbage Patch, the skid row for the truly down and out. Now, some high school kids are helping to clean up the area so they can preserve this forgotten part of Butte history.
“I think it’s cool that we’re able to come here and interact with history instead of just reading about it in a book,” said Butte High freshman Ronin Jayne.
From the 1880s to the 1940s, the poorest of the poor were huddled in cramped dirty shacks in six square blocks.
“Imagine living in one of these shacks in the winter time, no running water, no electricity. Pretty much all you have is a wood burning or coal burning stove,” said Butte High History Teacher Tony Hoffman.
The name Cabbage Patch was not a flattering one.
“Probably from the smell of the area; cabbage is also very cheap, easy to cook. There was a running sewer actually through here at one point in time,” said Hoffman.
The Butte High history class spent the morning cleaning the grounds for the few remaining shacks that still stand.
“It was a place for the homeless and poor and it wasn’t the best living standards, but they tried to make the most of it,” said freshman Carli Snipes.
Preserving the stories of the people who lived here also is important to the students.
“There have been people who’ve done great things that came out of the Cabbage Patch and, even though you live in a bad place doesn’t mean you have to be a bad person,” said Jayne.
