Somers residents are working to preserve memories of the bustling days of the past in the town on the north shore of Flathead Lake.

“There’s a lot of history in this area, and we want to preserve and promote that,” Carolyn Wondrow said.

Wondrow is part of the Somers Company Town Project, a group of area residents who want to restore pieces of Somers history to their former glory. “We’re just a group of citizens that grew up, lived in, or are just interested in Somers and we’re working to promote our interest in the history of the area,” Wondrow said.

Somers was established by the Great Northern Railway in 1901 as a mill town. Its location near Flathead Lake and abundant supplies of timber made it a perfect location for the production of railroad ties. Today Somers has a population of around 1,100.

“We really helped build the west, when you think about it,” Wondrow said. Because the town owes its existence to the railroad, Wondrow said it was fitting that the Somers Company Town’s first project was restoring the S-2, an H.K. Porter fireless steam locomotive now located next to the town’s post office.

“Our goal now is to build a pavilion over the S-2 engine to protect it from weather and vandalism,” Wondrow said. “We’d also like to have a history room in the pavilion, where we can tell a little bit about how we came to be here.”

Wondrow said the group has raised around $20,000 in the last two years for this project, and she said it hoping to break ground this year or early next year.

“The whole thing is projected to cost around $45,000,” she said. “We’ve gotten donations from residents, businesses and area craftsmen are donating time and labor to help us out. We really appreciate it.”

The group also has applied for several grants from various organizations including BNSF Railway.

“We haven’t heard anything from them yet, but we’re hoping they help us,” Wondrow said. “We’ve also applied for 501(c)3 standing from the federal government, and we’re really close to that, they’re just backlogged. That standing will really help us, though, and we’re looking forward to it.”

Wondrow said the group, founded in 2010, has received amazing community support for its projects, including an oral history project in conjunction with Somers Middle School.

“The students conducted interviews with people in and outside of the town and we recorded them,” Wondrow said. “Some of these people remembered working in the old mill, and it was amazing to do the interviews with the older people and see how close-knit the community is. They really take an interest in the town.”

Somers Company Town Project members also worked with the post office to create commemorative stamps and cachets to celebrate the Somers Post Office’s 110th anniversary.

“It was a fundraiser for us, and a lot of people attended and helped out,” Wondrow said. “We also put out calendars with historic photos of the town, and we ship those all over the United States. You’d be surprised how many family members moved away but still have ties to Somers. We also do things like wine tastings and raffles.”

Current fundraising efforts are focusing on a scrap metal recycling drive going through September at the Somers Sliters location.

“There’s a scrap bin there for people to deposit unwanted metal, or we can do a special pick-up if you can’t come to us,” Wondrow said. “Just call Sliters at 857-3306 to arrange it.”

Wondrow said the group’s other major fundraiser for the year will not only raise money to preserve Somers’ history but also bring a piece of it back to life.

“We’re hosting The Culpepper and Merriweather Circus on June 25, and that’s the first time in 73 years that Somers has had a circus in town,” Wondrow said. “It’s a one-ring circus, but it’s really good. I’ve seen them perform before, and they’re dedicated to preserving the traditional American circus.”

Tickets for the event are $10 for adults or $6 for children age 2 to 12 if purchased in advance. Tickets at the door are $13 for adults and $7.50 for children. Advance tickets are available at all Sliters locations and the Somers Bay Café.

Although current fundraising efforts are focused on building the pavilion, Wondrow said the group doesn’t plan to stop there and is considering other projects for the future.

“We’ve got our eye on the old ice house near Sliters,” Wondrow said. “We’d like to restore that and we’ve been kicking it around, but we want to finish the pavilion first. That’s somewhere down the road. But I’m extremely impressed with the generosity of the community and businesses when it comes to preserving the history, and who knows; it may be closer than we think.”

For more information on the Somers Company Town Project, fundraisers and events, go online to www.somerscotownproject.com.

Reporter Melissa Walther may be reached at 758-4474 or by email at mwalther@dailyinterlake.com.