Intriguing History Series Starts at Hamilton’s Daly Mansion

A popular local history series was shut down during the COVID pandemic, but it's back! The free Spring History series at the Daly Mansion in Hamilton starts Saturday, March 5th.

Courtney at the mansion said the Daly Mansion Preservation Trust brought the weekly presentations back to the mansion's Trophy Room at 10 a.m. each Saturday, with doors open at 9:30 a.m. Registration is highly requested, due to space limitations. The dates are March 5, 12 and 19, and April 9. She told us about the topics planned.

The four history presentations at Daly Mansion this spring

The mansion, on the northeast edge of Hamilton, was the summer home for the Marcus Daly family and the first history presentation March 5th is about the Copper King. "Marcus Daly: There is More to His Story!" will be presented by author Brenda Wahler. She is writing two books about Marcus Daly and her research has found little-known details about Daly and his family.

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Gary Gillett and Susan Hintz will be talking about the Buffalo Soldiers and Band Music & Missoula City Band with "Stories in Time" March 12. The 25th Infantry at Fort Missoula in the 1890s also had a band of 52 black musicians. The presentation includes history of the Missoula City Band, which pre-dates Montana statehood and continues today.

Daly Mansion volunteer and historian Bruce Gould will have the March 19th program - "The Making of the Bitterroot Valley: Why does it feel like home?" His research includes documents from the Daly Mansion archives and offers perspectives from the past on why people settled here and continue to come.

The series takes a week off, but finishes on April 9th with mansion volunteer and historian Maureen Lishke. Her topic is "Margit Sigray: Love and Loss." During World War II, direct Daly descendent Countess Margit Sigray wrote to her parents, Tony and Harriet (Daly) Sigray. In those letters, she mentioned a person named Tommy. From those letters and diaries here and in Maryland, Maureen and her sister Sue have discovered details about the family in Hungary and who "Tommy" was.

Again, you need to sign up in advance to attend these enlightening talks. You can leave a message, including name and phone number, at the mansion 406 363-6004 - Extension 4#.