Janalyn Voigt – Romancing the Research – Part 1 of 1

Shannon here: Janalyn Voigt how her research led to a real-life love story she just had to include in The Whispering Wind, plus a chance to win an e-book copy of reader’s choice of one of her first five Montana Gold books. Deadline: April 22nd, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Janalyn:

Marcus Daly: Calisota Online, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Real-Life Romance of Marcus and Margaret Daly by Janalyn Voigt

Once in a while, researching a novel uncovers a timeless love story. While writing The Whispering Wind (Montana Gold 6), I learned about Marcus Daly and his Maggie. Being a romantic, I had to include them in the book.

The story beings in 1872, when a miner named Zenas Evans brought his seventeen-year-old daughter, Margaret, along when he visited a brand new mine near Ophir, Utah. Marcus Daly, the handsome Irish foreman for the Walker Brothers banking and mining syndicate of Salt Lake City, showed them the mine. Marcus jumped into a ditch, where he scooped up several samples of ore and held them up for inspection. In her eagerness to see, Margaret ventured too near the edge. She lost her balance and fell—right into her future husband’s arms. Marcus Daly and Margaret Price Evans were married later that year.

Image Attributions: Riverside Mansion: DAN, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Marcus liked to make his wife blush by boasting that she literally fell into his arms. The pair had four children and settled happily on a purchased homestead in Hamilton Montana. They renovated the simple homestead into a 50-room mansion the couple called “Riverside.” Today, this historic building, known simply as the “Daly Mansion,” is owned by the state of Montana. It operates as an event and wedding venue and also offers guided tours. It is a remnant from a time in history that exists no longer—the era of the Copper Kings. You see, Marcus Daly became one of three fabulously wealthy men who earned vast fortunes by mining copper.

Marcus Daly arrived in America from County Cavan, Ireland in 1856. He sold newspapers in New York City, and then worked his way west. Marcus worked in mines during the California gold rush. He moved to Virginia City, Nevada, in 1860 and became a mine foreman for a mining syndicate working the famed Comstock Lode. He became friends with George Hearst (the father of William Randolph Hearst) and several other wealthy miners with which he would later form business partnerships.

Marcus and Margaret settled in Corinne, Utah, following their marriage. Marcus purchased the Anaconda Mine near Butte, Montana, which he mined for silver. A keen businessman and a brilliant geologist, Marcus foresaw the run on copper that would follow the perfection in 1879 of Thomas Edison’s incandescent light bulb, Once the silver ran out for other mines near Butte, Marcus bought them up and reduced prices. He mined them all for copper and struck it rich.

Giveaway Option – Book 1 Montana Gold series

Despite wealth and status, Marcus Daly struck others as a down-to-earth character. His pictures show a man with a kind face and often a twinkle in his eye. Margaret’s images show a striking woman with a noble bearing. Even so, it’s not hard to imagine her laughing. They were quite happy at Riverside. Marcus raised world-renowned race horses on his Bitterroot Stock Farm, which boasted 12,000 head. His favorite thoroughbred of those he owned was Tammany. Marcus bought the horse as a three-year-old in 1891 for $2,500. Two years later, before a racing match in New Jersey between Tammany and Lamplighter, a horse favored in the East, Daly remarked that “if Tammany beats Lamplighter, I’ll build him a castle.” 

Tammany won the race, and received his “castle.” Located on a hill near Hamilton, Montana, the grandiose stable

housed Daly’s famous thoroughbred stallions. Two flags flew from twin towers—the stars and stripes, and a copper and green flag (Daly’s racing colors). It seems fitting that Marcus would choose the color copper. Perhaps the green stood for Ireland. The Tammany Castle Ranch stands today and last listed for nearly three million dollars. I have seen a bed-and-breakfast listing for a stay in a cabin on the ranch. Riverside doesn’t accept overnight guests, but a cabin on the ranch would make a nice romantic getaway.

Marcus cherished his Maggie to the day of his death. They lived quite happily at Riverside, which became the social hub of the Bitterroot Valley. Marcus Daly passed away in 1900 at the age of 58. For the next  41 years, Margaret lived a quiet life. She contributed to the Boy Scouts, donated land for the library, gave organs to churches in Anaconda (a town founded by her husband) and in Hamilton, and built the Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital in Hamilton. Margaret died on July 14, 1941 at her beloved Riverside. 

I couldn’t find an image that wasn’t bound by copyright for Margaret. However, here’s a link to Find a Grave for Margaret Price Daly curious readers who want to see her.

Question for Readers: How did you meet your spouse? Or how do you hope to meet your spouse?

About Janalyn: Janalyn Voigt fell in love with literature at an early age when her father read classics to her as bedtime stories. When Janalyn grew older, she put herself to sleep with her own made-up tales. Her sixth-grade teacher noticed her love of storytelling and encouraged her to become a writer. Today Janalyn is a multi-genre author. Janalyn writes the kind of novels she likes to read – epic adventures brimming with romance, mystery, history, and whimsy. She is praised for her unpredictable plots and the lyrical, descriptive prose that transports readers into breathtaking storyworlds. Janalyn Voigt is represented by Wordserve Literary. Leanr more & connect: Janalyn’s Website

About the book – The Whispering Wind

Phoebe can have her pick of suitors but never the man she wants.

Fancy parties and embroidered fans hold little appeal for Phoebe Walsh. She would rather gallop across the open range with the wind in her hair or help her father with a wounded calf. Of her many admirers, none spark her imagination. Ma seems determined to save her from becoming a spinster on her twenty-fourth birthday, but how can Phoebe accept her mother’s choice of suitors when her heart belongs elsewhere?

Several years have passed since Will Canfield stole a kiss and her heart. Remembering her passionate response still curls her insides, but how she feels doesn’t matter. Will’s interest in her isn’t serious, as he’s made clear. She needs to get over the man. If Uncle Con will stop throwing them together, that could be a whole lot easier.

Will feels guilty about Phoebe, but he can’t risk another heartbreak. Being left at the altar certainly changed his mind about romance. Phoebe is better off marrying someone else, even if the idea sets his teeth on edge.

Phoebe and Will must both, with God’s help, conquer an old fear before they can move ahead with their lives. Set during a troubled time in America, the Montana Gold series explores faith, courage, and love in the Wild West.

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Whispering Wind by Janalyn Voigt          Learn More About the Montana Gold series

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Come back April 18th for Regina Rudd Merrick!