Trip Cancellation
One of the many interesting items that crossed the auction block at the September 2013 Stack’s Bowers Galleries sale was a piece described as a “1901 William McKinley, Anaconda Hill Medal.” While I have no special interest in McKinley medals, I was intrigued by its reverse. One of my longtime specialties is items relating to mining. However, I had never heard of this medal, which, according to the cataloger, was from the collection of John J. Ford Jr.
The medal’s obverse features a right-facing bust, with WILLIAM • McKINLEY • PRESIDENT/ • BUTTE • JUNE 1st • 1901 • around the rim. A mining scene dominates the reverse, with ANACONDA HILL at the bottom, and TIFFANY & CO. in tiny letters below that. BUTTE • SILVER – BOW • CO • MONTANA runs around the bottom half of the rim. The 51mm piece is struck in reddish brown copper.
Because the medal is housed in a very oversize (6 x 7.5 inch) slab, it wouldn’t fit in the box where I keep my items related to copper mining. So, I stuck it on a shelf and had forgotten about it until recently. The first question that came to mind when I rediscovered it was why President William McKinley would have been in Butte in 1901.
Presidential Tour
I assumed some sort of festival or celebration had taken place on that date, but a search of Butte newspapers was fruitless. However, numerous articles reported on First Lady Ida McKinley’s health, so I broadened my search to include her. I quickly learned that in April the president and his wife went on a tour that started in Virginia, and from there headed west. Stops were scheduled in numerous cities, and of course McKinley gave speeches at every stop in conjunction with the festivities.
The trip went well until May, when Ida started feeling ill. The May 12 San Francisco Examiner stated that her condition was serious and that she was “suffering from nervous collapse,” adding that “she is exceedingly feeble and it is feared that her life may be endangered by keeping her longer in the atmosphere of excitement unavoidably surrounding the Presidential party, during these days of crowds and speeches and all that.”
On May 14, reports noted that her health had considerably improved since her arrival in San Francisco. However, many articles over the next two days gave conflicting information. One newspaper stated that she was in critical condition, while another’s headline reported that she was on death’s door, her life hanging by a thread. Yet another version said the president was at her bedside “without hope that she will ever recover.”
Obviously, Ida had fooled not only the
doctors but also the newspaper.
Not Dead Yet
In spite of all the doom and gloom reports, by May 17, Ida was feeling slightly better and surprised her doctors by sitting up and eating, although she was still frail. She optimistically expressed that she would be able to continue traveling, but by that time the decision had already been made to cancel the remainder of the trip and head home. At least one newspaper evidently didn’t get the message. In an article headlined “Mrs. McKinley Dead,” the May 18, 1901, edition of the Wallace Press in Idaho incorrectly informed readers that the first lady had died in San Francisco the previous day and would be buried in Canton, Ohio. The reporter commented that “a triumphant procession turned to a great funeral pageant across the continent.” Obviously, Ida had fooled not only the doctors but also the newspaper.
The Butte Daily Post published an article titled “All Montana Regrets” in its May 16 edition, stating,
“It is safe to say that no announcement that has been made in recent years has caused more widespread regret throughout Montana than the tidings telling of the abandonment of the president’s trip to this state. Not altogether because the people of the state will miss seeing the chief executive; some other time this friendly meeting may take place. But because of the obstacle the feeble health of Mrs. McKinley has placed in the way of the president’s visit to Montana the citizens of the state feel genuine sorrow. In all this smiling state there is not one home in which Mrs. McKinley is not held in affectionate regard.”
Medal Mystery
Several questions come to mind concerning the medals. I haven’t been able to find any mention of them in 1901 Butte newspapers, and it would be interesting to know not only why they were struck, but also who placed the order with Tiffany & Co. It is doubtful that the quantity struck will ever be known, but I assume the number was small. Possibly the committee responsible for organizing the visit’s events planned to offer them for sale at the celebration. However, I think it more likely that the intent was to present them to members of McKinley’s entourage and Montana dignitaries, such as the governor and Butte mayor who would have been in attendance.
I can’t recall ever seeing another example of this medal and assume it is rare. This brings up yet another question: what happened to them after the president’s visit was canceled? It seems unlikely that they would have been destroyed, but on the other hand there would have been no reason to keep them. Who knows—perhaps a number of them were stored away in the basement of some Butte city office and forgotten.
I welcome readers’ comments. Write to me at P.O. Box 2866, La Plata, MD 20646. If a written reply is desired, please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
A version of this article appears in the October 2024 issue of The Numismatist (money.org).