The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1923-11-30
NN0MT AMA'S FIRST CAPTAIN OF INDUSTRY
WAS MARCUS DAILY, IRISH IMMIGRANT LAD

the death of Marcus DAILY
I father of the copper mining IN
dustry in Montana. He came t
this country in his early youth
alone, an Irish lad, and fought TO
Ibis livelihood on the streets of New
York City. He died an empire
builder, master of a great industry
lille was the direct cause of dis
| bursement in Montana in wages
lpaid to miners alone, of more thar
I$5O,OOO,OOO, the ransom of state
Some achievement for an untaught
| youth, who came to the United
States almost barefoot, and no won
der that the youth of the old world
dream of this land as a place just
this side of Paradise.
1t has been said that great men
of every nation become myths in
two centuries, by reason of their
elevation into a sort of saints call
endar, through the too lavish
praise of their admirers who, in
their eagerness to do justice to their
idol, depict him as sort of super
man.
The achievements of Marcus
Daily and the affectionate regard
in which he is held by those who
knew him we'll, might readily lend
themselves to the creation of
DAILY myth In dealing with man
who has left profound impress
of his personality on a common
wealth of the magnitude and i'm
portance of Montana, it is we'll to
confine oneself to historical facts.
When it was proposed to erect
the monument of bronze to his
memory, where it now stands, in
front Of the federal building in
Butte, there were men who ex-
claimed harshly, to hide the tears
that crpt into their voice, "Daly
needs no statute. His monuments
are scattered over the Butte hill in
the homes he builded for the wild
ows and orphans of Butte"
In the political life of the state he
ranked as the most powerful non
office-holder citizen of his time. In
industrial matters he set the pace
and during his lifetime Montana la
Dor ranked as the highest paid, and
the best treated, in the world.
When this plain, unaffected,
modest miner visited New York he
was sought out by the great indus
rial chieftains of the east and the
of the nations metropo-
is listened to him with respect and
reference.
Marcus Daily came to Montana in |
-876, so the story runs, as repre-
of the Waller Bros. of
Salt Lake, who had bought thee
Mic mine, $4,000. The claim had /
'een located, according to Gen. c.
). Warren, by Rolla Butcher, JAM
!, 1875. Joseph R. Walker of Salt
AXE made the purchase early in
he fall of 1876 and at once com
lenced the promotion of "The Al
,e Gold and Silver Mining com !
any" :
A history of Montana printed in :
1884 says: There was erected I
O-stanp mill, which, in the month r
f December, 1877, commenced to ;
educe ores. The mine is under !
lie superintendent of Marcus {
'aly, who graduated in the Com :;
.ock, and who is undoubtedly the
olest mining superintendent in ;,
[ontana." =
Such was the tribute of his con- !
even at that early day. :
When the o'clock in the chamber =
the Omnipotent" toiled the fatal =
our and Marcus DAILY, with per-
aps little sigh of relief, laid L
own the many and heavy burdens n
a life life cranmed full of action, n
greet at his death and admiration l
his marvellous talents were ex- =
essed by public men and in the d
lily press of the whole nation.
These estimates were based on pc
5 achievements during quarter oN
century of endeavor in Mon bs
na-and with one accord they BIT
ng in sympathy with the senti- c;
ent expressed by that early-day
storian who dubbed him as the ha
lest man in the state in his line. ar
When "Old Marcus" as he was oil
.ectionately called by the miners
the hill went to Silver Bow he
lnty the mining annals of the gu
tie had been chiefly placer rec Gle
Is. An early register says; "The or
Is and bars of Silver Bow county dis
covered, but not worked, up to ye;