History of the Somers Mansion
Built in 1903, the Mansion has endured two world wars, booms and recessions, 20 presidents, the age of globalization, the creation of Glacier National Park, and exponential growth inthe Flathead Valley.
According to the plaque near the front door, the Mansion was built in 1903 for John O’Brien by architect AJ Gibson (though the architect has been difficult to confirm).
Mr. O’Brien commissioned the house after starting the mill that put Somers on the map. At the suggestion of Mr. James Hill, a rail road baron, O’Brien came from Minnesota to Montana to check out a site for a lumber mill. He eventually decided on what became the Somers townsite, and built a massive milling and railroad tie production operation. The Kalispell Bee, a local newspaper reported on the O’Brien family’s comings and goings and social events in town. Based on the reports from the Kalispell Bee, the Somers Mansion originally took just 9 months to build! Originally, they called it “Alta Vista,” translating to high view (an accurate representation of it’s perch on the hill. Even though the O’Brien family moved in, my understanding is they primarily lived on the second floor- the first was used for entertaining and company business, and the third floor housed guests and company men. Interestingly, the O’Brien’s only stayed a few years before moving back east in 1906.
After the O’Brien family moved out, the Mansion was used by the John O’Brien Lumber Company both as offices and continuing to house company visitors. The Company Manager lived there and, in 1913, the then Manager opened the Mansion as the “Mountain Inn,” which officially remained open until 1916.
It wasn’t until 1946 that the Mansion became truly private property. It was sold to mill Manager McDevitt. His family owned the Mansion for the following sixty years- until 2005! The McDevitt’s were a rather private bunch and few people were invited in during their ownership, building curiosity in the community.
This photo is from Barbara Coppock, one of the lucky few invited inside for a tour. Thanks for the picture Barbara!
In 2005, the Mansion was bought by Christin Didler, who lived there with roommates and owned it during a very unfortunate storm in 2008 that took the roof off and wrought substantial damage. Due to the damage, the Mansion remained empty and vandals broke in, causing more damage.
Eventually, Christin Didler sold the Mansion to Christine Manson (yes, the names are confusing)- who eventually sold it to me!
“So, Somers Mansion owner, who are you?”