Pioneers & Landmarks

 These are some sketches from an afternoon side trip to the little town of Somers on Flathead Lake created during our visit to Montana this summer.

Driving south on the Highway 93 towards our lake house rental, I saw the signs for Somers and caught a peak of a quaint little street with older buildings. I knew I had to go back with my sketchbook and paints to spend an afternoon exploring and sketching.

The main street was tiny, with just a few buildings dotting the roadside. Further back I spotted this tall building in the rear of a lumber yard. I parked and walked back to the get a closer look. What a striking building... it's elongated proportions and rich patina of the wood siding were marvelous. So textural! It was an old cold storage building where they cut blocks of ice from the lake and stored them to load onto wagons.
 

The main road leading into the town had a wonderful array of small buildings with similar siding and proportions. I loved this small structure with the front washed in glowing light and old rose bushes still growing along its side. I wondered what the building had been used for... and thought about all the changes it had observed as it stood near the entrance to this little town.
Somers played an integral role in the expansion of the Great Northern Railway as they increased their tracks throughout the west. From 1900 to 1949 the Somers Lumber Company produced thousands of railroad ties.

I love these "relics" - they speak of a rich past and stand as testaments to pioneers who settled small towns and created small communities in the rugged west. They live on in my sketchbook and fond memories.