Northeast Route 2001

            We got to visit the mansion that Marcus and Margaret Daly lived in during summers. Marcus came from Ireland to the United States when he was fifteen. He was lured to the West because of the gold strikes. He became a respected miner and met Margaret. They got married in Salt Lake City in 1873.

            Marcus and Margaret moved to Butte, Montana in 1876. He owned 22,000 acres of land and had nine different ranches on them. Marcus bought the Alice mine in 1876 and another in Anaconda. Soon after  they had their first baby girl, Mag, who later died from a heart disease. They then had three more kids, Molly, Marcus the second, and Hadie.

            In 1887 Marcus set up a sawmill on the Bitterroot River. He believed there were many farming possibilities. Because of the cold climate and the high altitude he thought he could breed tough racing horses. His favorite horse was Tammany, a racehorse that won many races and prizes.

             Today the Daly Mansion has only one-third of the original furnishings. When Margaret died at 87 years old in 1941 the house was boarded up for 47 years. The people of Hamilton had fundraisers to buy the furnishings that were in the house that were being auctioned off, donate them back to the mansion, and restore the house as their heritage from the Dalys.

            Even though the mansion isn’t all original it was still very interesting with it’s 25 bedrooms, 15 bathrooms, and 7 fireplaces. It’s outer appearance is one of elegance and wealth with it’s many gardens of flowers.