BUTTE - One advantage people have of the new Our Lady of the Rockies Gift Shop is that if you walk out the front door, you can get a nice view of the statue right there.
“Everybody who comes in literally looks out this front window. So, everybody is really enjoying that view. They can still come in and look out the window and see her,” Barb Cadena-Kelly said.
The gift shop had to move from its long-time location at the Butte Plaza Mall earlier this fall after the new mall owner started making major renovations to the building.
The store is now at 1707 Continental Drive.
Check out the new Our Lady of the Rockies gift shop location! Perfect views of the statue that's watched over Butte for 40 years
“This is such an awesome location for us, again, being off that corridor and being right at the bottom of the mountain. You can’t beat it,” Cadena-Kelly said.
It was 40 years ago this month that the 90-foot statue was assembled on the East Ridge as a tribute Bob O’Bill made to his wife after she survived an illness.
For many residents, it’s a symbol of comfort.
“I watched as they put every piece up on the mountain. And every day and every night I look up there,” Sherry Hovis said.
Our Lady of the Rockies will hold an event celebrating its 40th year on Jan. 17, 2025, at the Butte Civic Center.
“It is absolutely incredible; it never ceases to amaze me that this was accomplished. It’s just amazing,” Cadena-Kelly said.
The new store is also the location where the shuttle trips to the statue will begin once they resume in June.
