In 1905, young New England attorney Burton Wheeler stepped off the train at Butte to stretch his legs, lost his money in a poker game, and decided to stay. Courtroom success quickly earned Wheeler a solid reputation. In 1908, Wheeler and his wife, Lulu, purchased this home, built in 1897 by Canadian warehouseman Herbert Carmichael. The Wheelers chose working-class South Butte as their home despite financial and political success, delighting in their unpretentious, hard-working and fun-loving Irish, Cornish, and Welsh neighbors. While in residence here, Wheeler served as state legislator and federal district attorney. The family moved to Washington, D.C., after Wheeler’s election to the U.S. Senate in 1922. Although a Democrat, Wheeler ran for vice president on the Progressive Party ticket in 1924 and was a controversial figure throughout his long political career. The well-kept brick and frame residence, nestled close between its neighbors, retains its original turn-of-the-twentieth-century appearance. For this reason and for its important historical associations, the home merits a place of honor in this South Butte neighborhood.
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