Keynote: Copper, the Capital, and Carroll

Abstract

Carroll College was founded during the early, formative period of Montana’s colorful late 19th and early 20th century history. It was an age when copper mining in Butte influenced nearly all facets of political, social, and economic life in Montana, including the epic, statewide donnybrook between the copper mining rivals (our famed Copper Kings), Marcus Daly and William. A. Clark, over determining which Montana city would be fortunate enough to become Montana’s permanent capital city. In 1894 Helena won, albeit with the narrowest of margins. Mining also drew thousands of immigrants, many from predominantly Catholic-leaning countries or regions of the world. As such, Montana had an exceptionally large number of Catholics and the power of the Catholic faith was widespread in Montana and ultimately led to the founding of Carroll College in 1909. My hope is to speak on the colorful politics of the era, the impact of mining and Big Money on the famed capitol fight of the early 1890s and then segue into political scandals in Helena around the turn of the century and then place the founding of Carroll in this particular political context and sort of free-wheeling economic and political environment.