Polson museum launches campaign to fix roof

Tarps placed over the thousands of artifacts on display at the Polson Flathead Lake Museum are serving as the main line of defense against the elements this winter.

According to museum president Karen Dunwell, the museum’s roof is in need of significant repair with water leaks spanning the entire length of the 10,000-square-foot facility.

Tarps now cover everything in the pioneer-era museum, and buckets are being used to catch water that drips from the faulty ceiling.

“It’s just not good,” Dunwell said about the leaky structure on Main Street that the museum owns outright. “In the summer when it rains, we roll the tarps down. When it stops raining, we roll them back up.”

In the winter, she said, any snowmelt that seeps into the building freezes up on the floor.

“It was roofed 40 years ago — now it’s just shot,” Dunwell explained of the building that was originally home to a brick-making company.

Fixing the domed roof on the 60-year-old facility has been discussed for some time, she said. Based upon one board member’s estimations, repair costs could be in the $170,000 range.

“It’s a unique and difficult roof to repair,” Dunwell said.

That price also includes repairs to the building’s cinder block exterior, which needs to be scraped, sealed and painted.

The museum (formerly Polson Flathead Historical Museum) recently launched a campaign to help reach that fundraising goal, and board members are beginning to apply for grants, as well.

“We estimate it will take two or three years to raise the money,” Dunwell added.

According to Dunwell, her grandfather J.F. Fay McAlear started the museum more than 50 years ago.

“He was given a stagecoach that ran between Ravalli and Polson,” she explained. “But there was a catch. He was told he could have the stagecoach if he started a museum.”

McAlear fulfilled that promise in 1972 after years of hard work.

Dunwell said her great-grandparents homesteaded in the valley in 1910, so McAlear knew everyone in the area, which made collecting unique items for the museum easy.

“He was absolutely passionate about this area,” Dunwell said of her grandfather. “He did everything he could to promote it.”

Exhibits on display at the museum include pioneer-era buggies, a functional Trading Post from 1881, bear skin coats, saddles, and antique furniture. Most of the artifacts are from the homesteading era of the early 1900s.

There’s also an exhibit of “Nessie,” the Flathead Lake monster.

“It’s really a delightful museum,” Dunwell said.

Visitation has been on the rise as of late. Dunwell estimates that 2,000 people visited in 2018 during the short three-month season the museum is open. That’s more than triple the visitation from prior years.

Volunteers man the operation during the season, offering guests in-depth tours that explain the area’s homesteading history.

Dunwell said the museum board has big plans for the future, such as creating a smartphone app for guests to tap into. But fixing the roof is the top priority.

“We have good plans for the future, if we can overcome this major hurdle,” she added.

People can mail donations to PO Box 206, Polson MT 59860, call Dunwell at 249-7641, or donate to the Go Fund Me account at https://www.gofundme.com/f/structure-repairs-and-renovations