Built about 1923, this modest working-class house was for many years the home of politician Burton K. Wheeler (1882–1975), a Democrat who in 1924 ran for United States Vice President on the Progressive Party ticket.

[2][3] The Burton K. Wheeler House stands in a densely built residential area east of downtown Butte that was traditionally a working-class neighborhood populated by mine workers.

The house is separated from its neighbors by concrete paths, and is set back a short way from the sidewalk on the street.

Although Wheeler's law practice had quickly made it possible for him to move to a more affluent area, he categorically refused, claiming that he enjoyed living among the working classes in the neighborhood, and that it was "worth extra votes every time I ran for office".

[3] Wheeler became nationally prominent by investigating prosecutors who refused to go after individuals implicated in the Teapot Dome scandal.