This morning we checked out of the Kalispell hotel and, before leaving town, toured the Charles Conrad Mansion. Charles Conrad (1850-1902) was essentially the founder of Kalispell. He originally grew up on a plantation in Virginia. During the civil war, his father presumably served with the Confederates. Charles, and his older brother William, served in the guerrilla cavalry of Mosby's Rangers. All three of the Conrad's survived the war and returned home to Virginia. With their plantation in ruins, the two brothers took a ferry from St. Louis up the Missouri River to Fort Benton, Montana Territory. Here they made their fortune in shipping, trading, lumber, mining, real estate, etc. It took three years to build their 13,000 sq ft, three floor, 26 room, 9 bedroom, three bath Norman-style mansion, completing it in 1896. It was electrified from the beginning using a hydroelectric nascent electric power system that Charles designed. That system brought power from a generator nine miles away solely to the Conrad home. The system was backed up by a carbide gas system.
It was a delightful tour. It started at 10:00 am and lasted about 90 minutes. We were able to go through 24 of the 26 rooms. The docent (Cindy) knew the material well and actually was a friend of one of the Conrad's children (Alicia) until she passed away in 1981 at the age of 89. No pictures were allowed inside the home. Other interesting aspects of the home included central heating (wood furnace generating steam for radiators throughout the house), an elevator, an intercom system, built-in fire hose systems on each level, hot and cold water flowing sinks (in the kitchen, the three baths and in each of the nine bedrooms), a conservatory, flush toilets and even cold water drinking fountains on the first and second floors. The cold water was generated by an ice box beneath the fountain. During its occupation, there were 12 inside and 12 outside servants. The original site was 76 acres (now it is three).
T joined the Fan Club and received an honorary air conditioner.
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| South Side of Mansion |
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| East Side of Mansion |
We finally drove out of Kalispell at 11:30 am and drove south on US-93 down to Missoula (home of Montana University). We passed the National Bison Range, but did not see a single buffalo. We ate lunch at the Five Guys hamburger joint before heading east to Butte. He got into Butte and our hotel at 4:00 pm.
Tomorrow we head south to Salt Lake City. It is just over 400 miles and we should be able to make it in just over six hours. We will be staying three nights in Salt Lake City. At the end of today, our total miles are up to 3,009.
