Filed Under Butte

Chequamegon Cafe

Butte National Historic Landmark District

Originally a three-story building, this old-timer was constructed circa 1884 as a restaurant and hotel. From 1888 to 1900, the upper floors were the Clarendon Lodging House managed by Anna Parker and later by Sophia Helmstedter and Mary Schmidt. The third story was removed during remodeling in 1915, and the Chequamegon Cafe opened here in 1917. It was a longtime favorite lunching place of both workers and copper kings. The name, derived from a word of Native American origin, proved a tongue-twister for many of the miner patrons, who called it the “Chew Quick and Be Gone Again.” From 1926 to 1954, under manger Algot Hultman, the Chequamegon advertised as “We Never Close” and “That’s All.” Although the ground-floor windows and doorway have been modernized, this early Butte building retains its original cast-iron storefront and fine decorative brickwork.

Images

Chequamegon Cafe
Chequamegon Cafe Chequamegon Cafe (PAc 91-51 B1 RollCBD10 F20). Front view of the building, facing west on North Main Street. The present-day location has a new tree in front of the building to show a difference and change in the landscape. B&W. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office from the Photograph Archives at the Montana Historical Society Creator: Photographer unidentified Date: 1985
Chequadmegon Cafe
Chequadmegon Cafe facade Source: Montana Historical Society Creator: Bryan Baldwin Date: August 8, 2022

Location

27 North Main Street, Butte, Montana | Private

Metadata

The Montana National Register Sign Program, “Chequamegon Cafe,” Historic Montana, accessed March 29, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/1969.