More than a century’s worth of history was hidden in the park at the corner of Ninth Street East and Seventh Avenue East in Kalispell. Now, area locals are helping return the park to its original glory.

Thompson Memorial Park is named in memory of Gus Thompson, a Kalispell resident, who played in the first baseball World Series. However, the Kalispell Parks and Recreation Department wasn’t aware of the history when they allowed the name change to “East Side Park” a few years ago. When those living near the park heard about the name change, some of them were upset.

“I didn’t think it was right to change the name,” said Kalispell resident Betsy Wood. “I didn’t think this piece of Kalispell history should be lost.”

Wood took her plea to the city, but officials had no knowledge of the park’s namesake. The information had been lost over the years, so instead, the department sought to change the name to something modern.

“That park has definitely had some identity issues,” Parks and Recreation Director Chad Fincher said. “There was no history with the Parks and Rec Department of why it was called that.”

Fincher said a group approached the department nearly 10 years ago with a goal to rename and restore the park. The park, which features one baseball field and a play structure, was beginning to look shabby and fall into disrepair. The group changed the park’s name and completed a handful of repairs. However, the group also fell apart with the 2008 recession, and eventually left the park on its own again.

Wood, on the other hand, knew the park’s history. She lived close to the park, and had taken it upon herself to research the history of the name in her free time.

“My boys played baseball at that park all growing up, and my husband was a coach,” she said. “I was curious about the name, and I’m a huge history nerd.”

Wood contacted the Daily Inter Lake for archived issues, and eventually found that Thompson Memorial Park was named for Gus Thompson, who pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first World Series, and played for several major baseball teams afterward. According to Wood’s research, he was considered the “father of baseball” for the Kalispell area, choosing to settle in the town after his career with the major league. He lived in Kalispell until his death in 1958, and he is buried in the Conrad Memorial Cemetery.

Now, the city has reinstated plans to rehabilitate the park. This fall, local volunteers donated time and funds to help repair the park.

One volunteer is Steve King, who is helping renovate the baseball field as part of his Eagle Scout project. Eagle Scout, the last level of the Boy Scout organization, is obtained through a community service project. King, a junior at Glacier High School, will rehabilitate the field, according to Fincher, by adding new benches for the dugout, and running new fencing along the infield.

“I’m hoping to finish it all up soon, if the weather is nice,” King said. “It’s been a good project.”

In exchange for his service, the Parks and Recreation Department rehabilitated the infield and grass in the baseball field. The Lions Club donated new fencing for the park.

Another organization, Friends of Thompson Park, has donated the funding to create a new informational sign at the park’s entrance.

However, around $3,800 still is needed to complete the project. Most of this cost will go to fencing material.

“We really want to get the park back to the way it was years ago,” Fincher said. “When it’s finished, we hope to have a dedication and inaugural games. But that’s still a ways off now.”

Reporter Brianna Loper may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at bloper@dailyinterlake.com.