History program highlights wealth in the Wild West
James A. Murray, the most successful Irish entrepreneur in the American West, is one of the topics in Bill Farley's presentation "How to Make a Million in the Wild West" Jan. 27 at the Northwest Montana History Museum.
The history of the Smokehouse Mine in Butte is one of several author Bill Farley will talk about in "How to Make a Million in the Wild West" Jan. 27 at the Northwest Montana History Museum.
Bill Farley will give a free history presentation titled “How to Make a Million in the Wild West” Thursday, Jan. 27, at the Northwest Montana History Museum.
The Wild West era in American history is replete with stories of prospectors, merchants and outlaws in search of great wealth. A rare few achieved their dreams.
In his presentation, Farley will discuss a variety of ways Wild West millionaires built their wealth — including James A. Murray, the most successful Irish entrepreneur in the American West — in a landscape where there was only a skeleton of a justice system.
Farley holds a Ph.D. from the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University. His research interests include economic and policy history with his work having been published in Montana: The Magazine of Western History, the Journal of San Diego History and the Journal of Policy History. He also has published in Wild West Magazine and American Ancestors, as well as a book on Montana pioneer James A. Murray (Mountain Press Publishing, 2018). Farley has been a lecturer at the An-Ri-Ra Festival in Butte and at the Montana Historical Association in Helena. He was recently commissioned by the Irish Royal Academy to prepare an entry for James A. Murray into the “Dictionary of Irish Biography.”
Farley’s presentation begins at 7 p.m. The event is free to attend; beer, wine and pop will be available for purchase.
Everyone is welcome at the museum; however, if you have a cough, fever, or are feeling under the weather, do not plan to attend.
The Northwest Montana History Museum is located at 124 Second Ave. E., Kalispell. Call 406-756-8381 for more information.
