|
 Marcus Daly Statue - Butte, MT Posted by:  T0SHEA
N 46° 00.745 W 112° 33.399
12T E 379492 N 5096605
Nearby Anaconda is a city built by one man, Marcus Daly, an Irish-born American known as one of the three "Copper Kings" of Montana. Butte, too, was a substantial beneficiary of Daly's ambition.
Waymark Code: WMXQV9
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 02/15/2018
Views: 1
Sculpted by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Butte's statue of Marcus Daly was originally unveiled September 2, 1907 in the centre of Main Street, between Copper and Gagnon Streets, most likely in front of the old Federal Building, today known as the Mike Mansfield Federal Building and United States Courthouse. The statue was moved to its present location at the entrance to the Montana Tech campus on June 25, 1941.
The statue is a larger than life bronze of the copper king standing at ease, coat on
arm and battered hat in hand. It stands on a massive granite stele, stepped in from a broader granite plinth, both made of granite blocks. The statue stands within an island in the centre of Park Street.
Sculpture: approx. H. 8 ft. 2 in.; Base: approx. 6 ft. x 7 ft. 4 in. x 7 ft. 4 in.
Inscription:
AVGVSTVS SAINT-GAUDENS ASPET MCMV (On base, incised:) MARCUS DALY A PIONEER MINER WHO FIRST DEVELOPED THE FAMOUS PROPERTIES ON THE HILL OVERLOOKING THE SITE OF THIS MEMORIAL WHICH IS ERECTED BY HIS FELLOW CITIZENS IN TRIBUTE TO HIS NOBLE TRAITS OF CHARACTER IN GRATEFUL REMEMBERANCE OF HIS GOOD DEEDS AND IN COMMEMORATION OF THE SPLENDID SERVICES HE RENDERED AS A BUILDER OF THE CITY OF BUTTE AND THE STATE OF MONTANA ERECTED AD 1906 signed
The sculpture commemorates Marcus Daly, one of Montana's three "copper kings," and the discoverer of Butte's rich copper deposits. Marcus Daly was born in 1841 in Derrylea, Ireland. In 1876 he invested in the Alice Silver Mine in Butte, Montana, later selling his share for $30,000, which he used to purchase the Anaconda Silver Mine. The Anaconda Silver Mine brought large scale mining to Butte and thereafter Butte was known as "The Richest Hill on Earth." When the silver mine began to run out, Daly found a huge vein of copper, which at that time was in high demand because of the emerging electrification of America. The high demand for copper enabled Daly to build his own smelter, and the resulting employment built the town of Anaconda and the Butte, Anaconda, and Pacific (BA&P) railroad. Daly then built the town of Hamilton, Montana to provide timber for his mines, as well as fuel for the smelter. By 1890, the copper mines in Butte were producing over seventeen million dollars a year worth of copper. Daly used his wealth to make many improvements around Montana, including building power plants, railroads, and lumber mills.
Following his death, the Daly Memorial Association was formed to erect a statue in his honor. They raised $25,000 within the following year and contracted with Saint-Gaudens in May 1902 to create the monument. Saint-Gaudens created the likeness using photographs and a death mask of Daly. The first cast, made in the summer of 1904, was destroyed in a studio fire in the fall of 1904. A second cast was made by the Gorham Company in the spring of 1905. Henry & Elsie Ward Hering assisted Saint-Gaudens. The original architects of the memorial were John Carrere and Thomas Hastings, but the final design was by Fred Green, an Anaconda Company engineer.
An additional $15,000 was raised for the base, which was carved by Carrere & Hastings from granite quarried in Homestake, Montana. The inscription on the base was written by J. H. Durston of the Anaconda Standard. The statue arrived in Butte in July 1906, but pending completion of the base, was not erected until Sept. 1907. The sculpture is the last known work of Saint-Gaudens, who died 1 1/2 months prior to the statue's dedication. The sculpture was originally installed in front of the Post Office on North Main Street, but because of a traffic accident it was moved in 1941 to the campus of the Montana College of Mineral Science & Technology (Montana Tech), then known as the Montana School of Mines.
The Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives has a vertical file on the Marcus Daly Memorial Statue, which includes correspondence with St. Gaudens agreeing to undertake the statue for $25,000; and photographs of the statue's move in 1941. IAS files contain an excerpt from Dryfhout text, and newsclipping from Butte Miner, Sept. 3, 1907, which details dedication ceremony and speeches. IAS files contain additional bibliographic citations from the Butte Miner. The sculpture is often subject to college student pranks.
From The Smithsonan
An Irishman born December 5, 1843 in county Caven, Ireland, Marcus Daly emigrated to the U.S. at the age of fifteen, going west at the age of 20 and finding work in the silver mines of the Comstock Lode in Virginia City, Nevada. Here he met George Hearst who, among others, was to become a financial backer.
Eventually buying the Anaconda claim, a silver mine in Butte, with the backing of Hearst, the mine struck copper at 300 feet. Copper was just coming into use at the time as an electrical conductor and Daly immediately saw the value of building a nearby copper smelter. This he did, with the backing of Hearst, James Ben Ali Haggin, and Lloyd Tevis. The site of the present day city of Anaconda was chosen for the location of the smelter due to the availability of ample water and limestone for the smelting process.
Meanwhile, in Butte Daly continued to expand his holdings, all the while engaging in epic battles with William Andrews Clark and F. Augustus Heinze, the other two " Copper Kings", each trying to out maneuver the others and retain the greatest profit. 
TITLE: Marcus Daly
ARTIST(S): Augustus Saint-Gaudens
DATE: September 2, 1907
MEDIUM: Bronze and Granite
CONTROL NUMBER: IAS 76007882
Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link]
PHYSICAL LOCATION:
1294 West Park Street
(Park Street at Montrose Avenue)
Butte, MT 59701
DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH:
The inscription on the granite stele is quite worn, now barely readable and with difficulty. The statue appears quite well preserved.
|
Visit Instructions:
Please give the date of your visit, your impressions of the sculpture, and at least ONE ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH. Add any additional information you may have, particularly any personal observations about the condition of the sculpture.
|