were turned off. the pit filled with 30 billion gallons of water. and as mine tailings and mineral refuse contaminated the water, it became a giant, insanely toxic lake of sulfuric acid-- a monument to greed and heedless exploitation of the earth and something eerily, if tragically, beautiful. if you're still living here, you've got to have some kind of weird, perverse pride in the pit. - absolutely. - i mean, correct me if i'm wrong. - no, you nailed it. obviously, the pit is an enduring emblem of that rapacious, capitalist greed, but you also have people here who are proud of where they live. the history of butte, in many ways, is, you know, this town that should've died but never did. part of that is luck, geographically, but also the character of the people here. you know, they endured. [stirring music] bourdain: as you might have gathered by now, this is a working-class town