BUTTE — Long before the Orediggers played football on Bob Green Field, they played it at Leonard Field on the campus of Montana Tech, but some folks in Butte are demanding a penalty for the repair work being done on the original stone wall which they claim is ruining an important part of Butte history.
“It’s just appalling that this kind of history is just beginning glossed over with modern trash,” said Montana Tech Alum Larry Hoffman.
Montana Tech is shoring up the lower part of the north wall of Leonard Field after it started leaning and crumbling in parts. A contractor was hired to reinforce the lower part of the wall with concrete blocks. Many people have complained that it ruins the aesthetic of the original rock wall.
“Every one of these stones was quarried, largely by hand. A lot of it was transported on wagons pulled by horses; all of it was placed by hand,” said Hoffman.
Leonard Field was built in 1931 and served as a football field, baseball diamond, track, and even flooded in winter for ice skating.
“We’ve lost so many buildings and so many great historic structures in this town and that’s a basis for our history in this town and I just couldn’t believe the school that I attended and care so much about would do that,” said Montana Tech Alum Sid DeBarathy.
Montana Tech Chancellor Les Cook issued a statement saying the decision was a public safety issue and an economic one. He noted that the upper part of the wall will largely remain intact.
“If additional funding becomes available in the future, we can remove the block portion," Cook stated.
