|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
7/29
It’s bright outside early in the morning and the heat is beginning to build. We washed the bug-laden truck (that took awhile, lots of bugs on the front end) and as time passed the humidity climbed. We decided to go to the Daly mansion, a 24,000 square foot Georgian Revival style home situated on beautiful grounds that is open for tours. It really reminded Gary & I of the plantations we visited in Louisiana. Marcus Daly, one of the Copper Kings & an important man to Montana’s history, came to this area in 1886 to secure timber for his mines in the Butte area. He founded the town of Anaconda, where he established a smelter for his copper mining and the town of Hamilton with his lumber industry. He eventually bought 22,000 acres in the Bitterroot Valley, opened mills to supply lumber for his holdings and created a town for the lumberjacks & mill workers. His holdings reached 28,000 acres and he built a summer home for his family & called his estate ‘Riverside’. He was not only known as a Copper King, he was known to be very good to the people who worked for him. After his death in 1900, his wife had the home remodeled into what it is today. Remodeled? We call this a grand makeover!! She died in 1941 and the house was boarded up until 1986. The home was given to the state for back taxes and was opened for tours in 1987. It has been renovated to its 1910 glory. It is a grand place & interesting tour! An interesting side note: Daly & Hearst were pals. W.R. Hearst would come to ‘Riverside’ to hunt & fish & Daly would visit Hearst in California. After leaving the mansion, we sought out a local organic produce farm that the campground owner told us about. As we drove up to the farmhouse garage, there were customers perusing & purchasing about 10 different vegetables offered. We then noticed 4 young men sitting around a table…3 washing the freshly laid eggs with soapy water and one drying & placing them in egg boxes. Reminded me of when we had chickens. Of course, it didn’t take 4 people to clean my few eggs. The humidity has reached its peak & you can barely see the mountains. The wind came up all of a sudden and soon heavy clouds appeared. The wind & the clouds kept up the rest of the afternoon & into the evening. Got a few sprinkles & much cooler temps. No fishing this afternoon. The wind was blowing briskly enough that the awning had to be put away.
|
|
|
|
|
|
They let you take all the pics of the outside that you wish, but the camera is turned off inside the mansion. Would have loved the picture memories, but, oh well.
|
|
|
|
|
As you turn down the drive from the road, this is your view. The house is barely visible at the end. Just a straight tree-lined drive ending with a small circle in front of the main entrance to the home. Behind this row of trees is fencing with cattle on either side.
|
|
|
|
|
|
The grounds have been restored to the 1910 era. As you’re about 1/2 through the drive, the pastures behind the row of trees ends and the tree-covered broad lawns spread out & around the home. Flower beds now line the driveway. You’re beginning to see just how huge this home is.
|
|
|
|
It took a staff of 16 people to take care of the home when the family was in residence. To the right side of the mansion is parking for carriages or cars. To the left is a glassed-in porch looking over an arbor that would be walked through to get to the swimming pool. By the time this mansion was built, the mines had played out, fortunes lost & houses of this magnitude hadn’t been built for years.
|
|
|
|
Part of the glassed-in porch on the right. In the foreground is an open porch with original railing and the very sunny, white structurein the background is the arbor.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A bit of the view from the porch looking back toward the cattle. The trees keep the grounds cool, but the humidity today can be seen in the picture....the grayish look in the background between the trees.
|
|
|
|
|
One of two bulls kept in a large pasture with only a few cattle on one side of the driveway. They refused our attempts to photo their front ends & we had to be satisfied with this. Gorgeous animals and obviously well-cared for.
They’re long gone now, but Mr. Daly was known for his prize-winning race horses he bred here on part of his 28,000 total acres. He had 6 different agriculture enterprises going here, including bee-keeping.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Need veggies? This is the place. And the eggs are great, too. Off the beaten track a bit, we found out about it & went. The young lady running the market is a very proud Montanan. It was sooo interesting talking with her.
|
|
|
|
|
WILDLIFE OF THE DAY
|
|
|
|
Help! Can anyone identify this wonderful raptor? He’s a juvenile something, but our bird books won’t cough it up. Gary thinks it is a juvenile red-tail that just looks a bit different than the pics in the birdie-books....email w/your thoughts.
|
|
|
|
(c) Lanesroadhouse is a copyrighted web site. No reproduction of copy or pictures without express written consent.
|
|
