Local artist Connie Smith: behind the brush

Over the next weeks we will be publishing stories of the Smith family, who came to the Boulder Valley as pioneers in 1846. 

Part 1: The Smith family’s Irish history

Irish immigrants came to America by the hundreds of thousands between the years of 1846-1851. A good many of them came to Montana. The Smiths, Clarks, and Ryans were among them. These hardy families are, in great part, founders of the Boulder Valley community. Why did they come in such numbers?