Montana’s Gilded Age Was Rich In Wealth, Power, And Betrayal

Revisiting The Gilded Age In Modern America

Currently one of the hottest TV shows on HBO is "The Gilded Age," which just wrapped up its third season.

It's been a few years since the actual Gilded Age in America, but some people are hoping for its return in the new millennium.

What Was The Gilded Age?

The Gilded Age, named as such due to Mark Twain's book "The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today," only lasted about 20 years, from the late 1870s to the late 1890s.

It was an era of materialistic excesses marked by widespread political corruption, which saw massive wealth for a select few but rampant poverty for everyone else.

This is precisely how the Gilded Age unfolded in Montana, especially in Butte, during that identical time frame.

Montana’s Gilded Age: Butte and the Copper Kings

The Gilded Age in Montana had the Copper Kings, who were Marcus Daly, William A. Clark, James Andrew Murray and F. Augustus Heinze.

The battles between these men during this time really shaped Montana's future and even America's.

William A. Clark, who had dreamed of being a senator, was charged with bribing the Montana State Legislature, because at that time they chose each state's respective legislators. Shortly thereafter the 17th Amendment was passed, which established the direct election of senators.

William A. Clark is also the man responsible for one of the long-lasting buildings of the Gilded Age, the Copper King Mansion, which today is still being used as a bed & breakfast.

It's an incredible time capsule into one of the most opulent eras of our history.