Surprising to me, the little town of Hamilton near the south end of the Bitterroot Valley in southwestern Montana is home to one of the country’s most exclusive country clubs, the Stock Barn, where the dinner for the Casting for Recovery fundraiser was held. The clubhouse and golf course are surrounded by spectacular views of two mountain ranges, the Sapphire and Bitterroot ranges. The interior of the Stock Barn is decorated with beautiful art and has a traditional western feel to it.
Lewis and Clark first traveled to the Bitterroot valley in 1805 on their historic expedition. Later that century, Marcus Daly, an Irish immigrant purchased the Chaffin homestead and later built the Daly Mansion. As mentioned in an earlier post on Butte, Montana, copper mining has been a mainstay in the economy in that area. Daly made his fortune by building a smelter for the nearby copper mines. By the turn of the century the mines produced over $17 million worth of copper each year, making Daly one of the wealthiest men in the country. His 22,000 acres became the grounds of the Stock Farm. Today, Charles Schwab owns the Stock Farm.
In this historic setting, Peg Miskin put together an amazing couple of days for the donors for this most valuable organization. In addition to a scrumptious meal, an alluring silent auction and great company, we heard from some survivors including one very brave woman dealing with terminal cancer. She was an inspiration to us all as she spoke frankly about her condition and how CFR had made such a difference to her.
I have found the organization that I want to help fund and donate my time to.
