In 1979, a Montana electrician promised to build a statue if his wife survived cancer: Six years later, a 90-foot figure stood above Butte

Butte electrician Bob O'Bill made a promise during his wife's battle with cancer in 1979. If Joyce recovered, he would build a statue of the Virgin Mary in her honor. Joyce survived, and O'Bill eventually turned the small idea into a 90-foot statue on a mountain above Butte. The statue is now known as Our Lady of the Rockies, and stands on the Continental Divide's East Ridge, about 3,500 feet above Butte. According to the official Our Lady of the Rockies organization , construction began in 1979 and took six years, with residents contributing labor and helping raise money for the project.

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