1009 Caledonia Street
Butte’s burgeoning professional class sought refuge from the clamor and pollution of the mine yards, making the Northwest-Big Butte neighborhood their home. This Queen Anne “Free Classic” style cottage was likely one of fifty homes built during Caledonia Street’s 1905 building boom. The steep gable-on-hipped roof and heavy moldings in the gable ends reflect America’s fascination with classical architecture. Boston and Montana mine superintendent John C. Adams was the first resident in 1905, followed by his assistant George McGee in 1906. Both men were embroiled in F. Augustus Heinze’s war with Amalgamated Copper. When Heinze sold the bulk of his Butte holdings in 1906, McGee moved to Fergus County. Real estate entrepreneur Charles Jackman and his wife Kate bought the home in 1907. As chairman of the police trial board, Charles played a key role in Mayor W. T. Stodden’s police reform initiative. In 1935, he became the Butte city librarian. Kate was active in the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Foreign Missionary Society. She also hosted the Westside Shakespeare Club, a women’s club dedicated to the study of literature, art, and science.
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