All of the free lectures are held at the museum’s Education and Collections Center in Prospector from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday's lecture is presented by Brenda Wahler on Marcus Daly’s Utah years.
Museum Director of Education Diane Knispel said Marcus Daly got his start in Utah as a miner before making his fortune in copper in Montana.
“And he's known as Montana's copper king,” Knispel said. “He became very good friends with George Hurst, one of our mine owners, and she's going to present some stories about that friendship and relationship. He [Daly] was also a manager for Utah's banking millionaires, the Walker brothers, and he developed the skills that ultimately made Butte, Montana, the richest hill on Earth.”
Wahler is an attorney, historian and lifelong Montanan and just published her new book, “Marcus Daly’s Road to Montana,” in March.
Daly was born in 1841 in rural Ireland and moved to New York as a boy. Later, he traveled west to the gold and silver mining camps. The book details his path from farm boy to mining king, focusing on his secretive and formative early years.
Another lecture is set for next Wednesday, May 10, also from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. This lecture, presented by Patricia Stokes and Rebecca Ward, focuses on the history of the McPolin Farm.
“They are going to be talking about the McPolin barn and farm, the history of the families who lived there, the barn itself and how it's been preserved over the years,” Knispel said. “We are trying to do some lectures this year, based on old historic buildings in town, and since everyone knows the McPolin barn, we wanted to start with that.”
The museum plans to schedule two lectures a month. The information will be on the museum’s website here.
And save the date, the Historic Home Tour will return this year on June 17 after a three-year break. The tour will focus on homes on Park Ave.
