'Lady Montana' comes down from Capitol dome as restoration work continues

Crews began work in the dark hours of Thursday morning to remove the 15-foot, 2,000-pound copper-alloy statue from her perch. 

 “Just an exciting morning, and I'm glad everything worked out as well. I don't think you could have imagined it going any smoother,” said Anthony Schrillo, who came to watch the historic event.

Schrillo is a tour guide with the Montana Historical Society and has given numerous tours of the Capitol over the years. He said he was thankful to be present for the moment.

“It seemed all of a sudden, everybody kind of gasped, and then she was lifted and then slightly turned as she came off the pedestal. And that was amazing,” noted Shrillo.

Historians and staff Nonstop Local spoke with on Thursday morning said they were not aware of the statue being removed at any point since sometime in the 1930s. A destructive windstorm at the time damaged the copper plating and the statue. On Thursday, it was easier to see the structural repair rivets in “Montana”, including her face and back.

Since late June, the Montana Capitol has undergone significant work as part of the $28 million restoration project of the Capitol Complex in Helena. The statue's removal was not advertised, with workers saying the 6:00 a.m. removal time was in part to limit wind and crowd size for safety concerns.

The Lady “Montana” has stood watch over the People’s House since 1901, but when she first arrived in Helena, no one really knew where she came from or who made her.

Early Montana politics were rife with corruption. An 1897 scandal saw the disbandment of the first Capitol Commission for embezzlement. One of the original Capitol Commission members is believed to have died by suicide, and many of the original documents were destroyed by the committee members.

So, when the statue arrived in the Queen City of the Rockies at the turn of the century, all people knew was she was meant for the Capitol. 

It wasn’t until 2006 that the family of the sculptor, Edward J. Van Landeghem, reached out to the state, finally solving the mystery.

“It was his intention to have her called ‘Lady Montana’ because it was she was referred to as ‘Lady Liberty’ for over a century,” Scrillo explained.

Workers speaking on background told Nonstop Local that the statue will be kept in a secure facility until experts can take a full assessment of the restoration work that needs to be done. They further noted, “Montana” will likely need to be shipped to a specialist operation for the delicate work of restoring her. Next for the dome, workers will begin the process of removing the copper paneling and installing a protective barrier while work is done on the inner structure.

Once the Capitol dome work is completed, the plan is to have the Lady Montana return to stand sentinel over The People’s House yet again. 

Nonstop Local reached out to the Montana Department of Administration, which is overseeing the work, to learn more about what is next for restoration work of the dome and the State Capitol, and a timeline of what still needs to be done. A spokesperson with the department said they would provide more information on Friday, Aug. 8. We will update this story once we receive the additional information.