Editing Somers, Montana (section)

== History ==
[[Great Northern Railway (U.S.)|Great Northern Railway]] magnate [[James J. Hill]] contracted to build a sawmill on the north end of Flathead Lake in 1900. A town was developed for the workers.<ref name="mhs">{{cite web |title=Somers|url=http://mtplacenames.org/ |website=Montana Place Names Companion |publisher=Montana Historical Society |access-date=9 April 2021}}</ref> The town was named for George O. Somers, a Vice President of the Great Northern Railroad, and the person responsible for overseeing the development of the new lumber town.

In 1909, the ''[[Industrial Worker]]'', a newspaper published out of [[Seattle]] by the [[Industrial Workers of the World]], described Somers thus:<ref name="IW_1909_07_29">{{cite news |last=Heslewood |first=F. W. |publication-date=29 July 1909 |title=The Somers Strike |volume=1 |issue=20 |page=1 |newspaper=[[Industrial Worker]] |url=https://archive.org/details/v1n20-jul-29-1909-IW}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|text=The nearest approach to hell on earth is at Somers, Mont. The principal industry at Somers is sawing railroad ties for Jim Hill. Jimmy owns everything around Somers including the water, docks, sawmills, county roads, and all the land that the town is situated on. Jimmy also owns the United States postoffice and nearly all the judges and lawyers in Flathead county. |author=F. W. Heslewood }}

The IWW at the time was in dispute with Jim Hill in connection with strike waves throughout the [[Flathead Valley]], especially centered in [[Kalispell, Montana|Kalispell]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://depts.washington.edu/iww/iwwyearbook1909.shtml |title=IWW Yearbook 1909 |last=Janders |first=Oliver |website=IWW History Project |publisher=[[University of Washington]] |access-date=18 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151105081858/http://depts.washington.edu/iww/iwwyearbook1909.shtml |archive-date=5 November 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Sawmill workers organized with the IWW struck at the Somers Lumber Company, with company management quickly hiring [[strikebreaker|scab]] labor and [[blacklisting]] union members as a result. Tensions reached their peak in late July 1909, when the IWW warned unemployed workers to stay away from Somers to avoid the conditions there.<ref name="IW_1909_07_15">{{cite news |last=Duddy |first=Joe |publication-date=15 July 1909 |title=Conditions in Flathead Valley |volume=1 |issue=18 |page=3 |newspaper=[[Industrial Worker]] |url=https://archive.org/details/v1n20-jul-15-1909-IW}}</ref>

In 2023, a 106-acre site was designated [[Somers Beach State Park]].<ref name="state park">{{cite web |last1=Scott |first1=Tristan |title=FWP Finalizes Development Plan at New Somers Beach State Park |url=https://flatheadbeacon.com/2023/04/18/fwp-finalizes-development-plan-at-new-somers-beach-state-park/ |publisher=Flathead Beacon |access-date=26 October 2023 |date=18 April 2023}}</ref> Once developed there will be day-use amenities and a hand launch area for boats.