Thanks for finding my place on the web and I welcome you to a glimpse of Butte, America. Come along for a while, enjoy this city, the ‘Richest Hill on Earth’ …

Butte, Montana nests high in the Northern Rockies of America’s West. Surrounded on three sides by the Continental Divide, this city is half-way between Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks. A third incredible wonder in Montana as I see it.

The wealth beneath this city was created long ago in a formation known as the ‘Boulder Batholith’ a tremendous geological formation which yields vast amounts of copper and minerals. Historic Butte was built with these riches by courageous men, women and children in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s who came here laying claim to the American Dream. Designated as a National Historic Landmark District this place resonates with the boom and bust of a metropolis like no other place in the history of America’s West.

The stories here are waist-deep on every street, hopes and dreams, sweat, brothels, tears, wealth and optimism ring in the streets of an elite 20th century industrial-city complex. The burgeoning West yelled out for workers, entrepreneurs, performers who came from Ireland, China, Finland and beyond with a hope of possibility. What happened here is a very unique segment in the world’s history … 100,000 strong in the early 1900’s, Uptown Butte is now a fraction of that population yet is stirring with the optimism and pride which built this city on a hill.

Thousands of miles of tunnels beneath Butte remain as testament to the tremendous work ethic required to extract the copper ore. This incredible character placed Butte on the world map as ‘The Gibralter of Unionism’ where many struggles and stories of the union labor movement are legendary.

Me, I am a new-comer with hope and optimism, not much different from the immigrants 100 years ago coming to Ellis Island with a destination of ‘Butte, America’

It is a unique privilege to be living and working in the midst of such an incredible historic place. Uptown Butte is within a National Historic Landmark District which includes over 6,000 structures.  Plan a trip to Uptown Butte and say hello, if my front door is locked check for me in the studio.

See you Uptown!

Bryan Woodford

historic photos courtesy of the Butte-Silver Bow Archives

graphics by Lux

Check out the ‘learning bamboo’ tab at the top of this page and come along for the initial stages of crafting a bamboo fly rod.

[View slideshow]

[View slideshow]

Now here is something really cool.  www.Sweetgrassrods.com  is moving into their new production facility and retail space in Twin Bridges, Montana and they hired me to build display racks for their graphite and bamboo rods.  I’ve always been one who admires fine craftsmanship and the Boo Boys take their craft to levels I barely comprehend.  I’ve worked in wood for over 25 years, they work grass,  ’sweet grass’ bamboo.  The precision machining of grass and the attention to detail required to create a fine bamboo rod is an impressive feat.  I highly recommend taking some time to visit their site and enjoy the high level of artisanry they infuse into each hand-crafted rod.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the racks in my studio .. and some of the components used in the process.  The materials are beetle-killed blue pine and reclaimed fir flooring.  I’m also using raw bamboo which is a first for me but a fun learning experience.   The pine was milled near Butte and the flooring was salvaged from an old market that was renovated in recent years.   The displays will be installed in early October so I will post pictures once they are complete and hanging in their new shop.  

Good friends of mine are building a home not far from here, and when I mean building they are doing nearly all the actual work.  It has been fun to see their place rise from the foundation and take shape as a house .. hopefully later this year it will be their home.  They have asked me to help with some of the finish work and it will be a great summer challenge to see their Victorian Italianate home become reality.  Here is a quote by Herman Aihara that I have always enjoyed;

‘If you want to build a building,  first there is spirit – you have a design.  Then you get the material to build the house.  Unless you have a spirit,  you won’t build this house.  No shape.  You have to design the shape,  make a plan.  That’s spirit first.  Always there is spirit.  Then the material comes.  There is no seperation.  To me,  this is the first thing to realize: … matter and spirit are not seperate.’