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Pleasant. When war came to Iowa, the state supported the Union, but
William betrayed his Yankee roots and joined the Confederate army in
1861. He didn’t last long as a Johnny Reb, and 1862 found him trying
his luck at the quartz mines near Central City, Colorado. When that
didn’t pan out, he moved to Bannock, Idaho, and finished his stint
with the Confederacy, in spirit at least, by placer mining in Jeff Davis
Gulch.
Ever the bright student, Clark recognized that spending hours
upon hours in frigid mountain streams in the hope of finding gold
would not garner a fortune. What would be remunerative, however,
was providing the gold-fevered miners with the supplies they needed.
Heading south to Salt Lake City, he loaded a wagon with groceries and
28
winter
|
spr ing
William Andrews Clark completed his 30-room Butte mansion in 1888
(Montana Historical Society Research Center)
Above:
Clark’s railroad
employed 1/3 of the
residents in Las Vegas
by 1911 and was
mainly responsible for
the creation of the town.
The new station, in the
Mission Revival style,
provided an important
stop along the route from
Salt Lake City to Los
Angeles. (Courtesy Library
of Congress)
Clark’s Butte mansion
with its sumptuous entry
hall of ornately carved
wood, repoussé copper
walls, floors of intricate
marquetry and painted
ceilings were far removed
from his humble farm
roots (Courtesy of Copper
King Mansion)
Born in Pennsylvania in 1839, he moved with his family in 1856
to Iowa where they established a farm. During this time, William
taught school and studied law at Wesleyan University at Mount