BUTTE, Mont. — It’s been a month since a white box truck plowed over the iconic entrance arch at Mountain View Cemetery, the final resting place of several famous people, including Evel Knievel.
As authorities continue to identify who did the hit-and-run, the arch has already been restored.
“It’s fixed, and it looks better than ever,” said Gaye Evans, caretaker at the cemetery. “It looks fantastic.”
Cemetery Of Significance
The newly restored arch spans one of the two entrances to the cemetery, which is the final resting place for Butte-born Knievel, the legendary motorcyclist and daredevil who died in 2007.
Other members of the Knievel family buried in the cemetery include Evel’s son Robbie Knievel, who was also a stuntman and died in 2023.
One of Evans’ windows faces Evel Knievel’s grave, and she said there’s “always” someone there, even in the snow, paying respects or leaving items at the final resting place of one of Butte’s most famous sons.
The grave of Frank Little is another destination for many visitors to the cemetery.
Little, a labor organizer, was brutally murdered in 1917 shortly after arriving in Butte to help organize miners and lead a strike against the Anaconda Mining Co. in the wake of the deadliest mining disaster in U.S. history that killed 168 miners.
Little is buried in the cemetery, along with several miners who died.
Butte-born Evel Knievel is buried at Mountain View Cemetery, and his grave site is frequently visited by people who come to pay their respects. (Trim Blomberg via Flickr) 
Frank Little, a union organizer who was brutally murdered in Butte in 1917, is also buried at Mountain View Cemetery, and his grave has become a destination for people interested in U.S. labor history. (Via findagrave.com) 
Butte-born Evel Knievel is buried at Mountain View Cemetery, and his grave site is frequently visited by people who come to pay their respects. (Famous Graves) 
Frank Little, a union organizer who was brutally murdered in Butte in 1917, is also buried at Mountain View Cemetery, and his grave has become a destination for people interested in U.S. labor history. (Via findagrave.com)
‘Nobody Snitched’
Mountain View was originally built in 1910, and the arch is nearly as old, so the crash attracted some attention given the cemetery’s historic significance.
Whether the arch was damaged by accident or on purpose is not known. Tracking down the driver has been difficult because the truck had no identifiable markings and surveillance video did not capture a clear image of it, Evans said.
“I thought for sure somebody would snitch,” Evans said. “Nobody snitched.”
The Butte-Silver Bow Law Enforcement Department is investigating the incident, but the officer overseeing the case didn’t return a message for comment.
Stronger Than Ever
For Evans, who lives on-site, the crash at the cemetery’s entrance was all the more surprising because she didn’t hear anything and the sight of the iconic arch on the ground was disconcerting.
“It was so sad,” Evans said. “I came back to my house and I cried.”
It’s been about a week since the arch was returned to its rightful place, while the repairs didn’t end up being as costly as Evans had initially feared.
And there’s a silver lining of sorts: The wrought iron of the arch is stronger than ever, meaning this type of vehicle assault is less likely to happen again in the future.
Like Knievel’s famous attempt to jump the Snake River, “Now if somebody hits it, they’re going to absolutely wipe out their vehicle,” Evans said.
