I was saddened to read about the death of a Butte icon: the Auditor, a bedraggled mutt who lived in Butte's toxic Berkeley Pit for at least 17 years. The Berkeley Pit is filled with so many heavy metals and contaminants (after a century of mining) that it once killed 350 geese unfortunate enough to land in the water it holds. Yet, despite this, the Auditor lived--and thrived, even--in this area, defying logic. In a strange sort of way, I think the Auditor was a symbol of Butte itself (still by far Montana's most interesting city). A local foundation is raising money to build a statue in the Auditor's honor (thanks for this link, Ghost Dog); if New York City can have a Balto statue, certainly Butte should have an Auditor statue.