by John Dowd
Maureen Lischka has spent 18 years volunteering in the basement archives of the Daly Mansion, researching the people and stories connected to the prominent Daly family. Recently, Lischka gave a presentation on several of the longtime and prominent servants who worked for the Daly family over the years. During her research, Lischka went looking for the headstones of some of those servants. What she found was that two of them were missing.
The graves belonged to a longtime gardener for the Daly family and a polarizing gentleman who served as a chauffeur. Both men were single and had no family, according to Lischka’s research. Mrs. Daly paid for one of the men’s funeral expenses, while her daughter paid for the other’s after Mrs. Daly died. To her, and others with the mansion, it was unacceptable to forget the interesting lives of those two men, and they had to do something about it.
The first was Robert Dawson, who came to the United States at age 18. In 1897, he was hired by Marcus Daly to work as a gardener. Dawson remained with the Daly family for decades. He became ill in 1936 and died in 1939. Lischka said Dawson was well-liked by the Daly family and was even given a home to stay in after he retired. Despite his long service to the family, Dawson’s grave was left without a headstone.
The story of the other man, Guy Hill, was more complicated.
Hill was born in Indiana in 1877 and came to the Bitterroot Valley in 1910 after Marcus Daly Jr. convinced his mother to hire Hill as a chauffeur.
Before coming to Montana, Hill had lived in Nevada, where he worked as a chauffeur and raced cars. Based on her research, Lischka believes a friendship likely developed between Hill and Daly Jr. The two shared interests in automobiles and hunting, among other things. “You could write a whole book on him,” Lischka said about Hill.
Hill’s life was colorful, and his relationship with the Daly family was complicated. He left their employment multiple times, but each time he was eventually hired back. Lischka said Hill was the kind of person people either loved or loathed.
Daly Jr. and Hill appeared to maintain a professional relationship, Lischka said, but their shared interests suggest they may also have been close friends. Daly Jr. repeatedly went back to his mother to convince her to hire Hill again.
Daly Jr. died in 1930, but Hill continued to have a connection with the family. Marcus Daly III also convinced his grandmother to hire Hill on again.
In 1940, Hill ended up in the hospital. Lischka said he had heart problems and drank heavily. While hospitalized, Hill convinced the hospital to give him its best room, telling staff that Mrs. Daly would pay for it. She had made no such arrangement, Lischka said, but paid for the room anyway.
Hill eventually left the hospital and returned to work for the Dalys. He remained with the family until his death in 1942. One of the Daly daughters paid for his funeral. Hill died without money, according to Lischka’s research.
When it came to putting in the headstone for the two men, local author Larry Strate stepped up and donated the money for Dawson and Hill. Strate has written several books about the history of the Bitterroot Valley, including one focused primarily on Mrs. Daly. He said the stories contained in those books can help keep local history alive. “The best thing about these books is they create conversations,” Strate said.
When asked why he donated money for the headstones, Strate said, “I thought it was a good idea and it helps to close two stories of the many lives who gave their effort to the Daly Estate.” The headstones were installed in July, with the process aided by Daly-Leach Chapel and Crematory.
For Lischka, the discovery of Dawson and Hill’s unmarked graves was another example of the depth of history found throughout the Bitterroot Valley. Two additional unmarked plots are located nearby, although Lischka said she does not know who is buried there.
Her interest in the Daly family and its history has continued to grow throughout her years of volunteering. “I grew up with history all around me,” said Lischka, who was originally from Virginia. “As soon as I started reading about this family, I was just fascinated.”
Lischka described the Dalys as incredible people and said their history becomes more fascinating the more she researches it.
One example she cited was the story of one of the Daly daughters who married a count in Hungary. During World War II, the count was taken to a concentration camp, while the Daly daughter and her daughter were placed under house arrest by the Nazis.
That granddaughter would later develop a story of her own in the Bitterroot Valley. She became known as “the duchess” and was recognized for her involvement with horses and as a champion of horses in the valley.
For Lischka, stories like these are part of the appeal of local history. “The more you read about them, the more fascinated you become,” she said.
Lischka said the Bitterroot Valley is packed with history, and the stories of people who worked behind the scenes at the Daly Estate are part of that history.
Dawson and Hill are buried next to each other at Hamilton Riverview Cemetery in Section 8N.
A commemoration of their new headstones will be held Sept. 23 at the cemetery. Volunteers from the Daly Mansion will gather at 3 p.m., and Lischka will present the stories of Dawson and Hill.
Strate will also hold a book signing for his book about Mrs. Daly at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 17 at the Ravalli County Museum.
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