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Ice House The Ice House was originally a homestead cabin. Bunkhouse The Bunkhouse has been made handicap accessible. There is a small gift shop in the back of the building. Inside the Bunkhouse The bunkhouse is where hired hands stayed. 100-year old Homestead House The Homestead house has been restored and has many artifacts and interpretive signs.

The Sommers Homestead Living History Museum’s last day open for the 2014 summer season will be Saturday, August 30th. They will host an Open House all day from 10AM to 3PM. They encourage everyone to come out and see the new exhibits. An Ice House and Bunk House have been added to the collection of restored buildings. Also new this year are four life-size fiberglass livestock animals: a work horse, saddle horse, pony, and a milk cow that can really be milked.

The Homestead will be offering a free lunch at noon with lots of delicious home cooking. There will be roast beef, potatoes, beans, lots of desserts including home-made pies, cakes and cookies, and home-made ice cream. Lunch starts at noon, don’t be late!

This is a family event that kids will love. There will be hands-on living history opportunities including hand washing clothes using wash boards in a tub, pumping water with a hand pump, milking the cow, seeing a spinning wheel and treadle sewing machine, roping, finding ice in the Ice House, homestead games, the homestead playground, and more.

The Sommers Homestead Living History Museum is a cooperative project between the Sublette County Historical Society, Green River Valley Museum, and siblings Jonita and Albert Sommers. The land was homesteaded in 1907 and remains in the same family after more than 100 years – it has been designated a Wyoming Centennial Ranch and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The historic site now includes eight fully restored buildings: the 2-story log homestead house, garage/shop, underground root cellar, meat house, barn, outhouse, ice house and bunkhouse. The ice house and bunkhouse were restored over this past winter and just opened to the public this spring. The Homestead has also added a gift shop with items that relate to the homestead era of the late 1800s to 1900s including antiques, local history books, historic toys and gift items, hand-made quilted and sewn items, hand-spun yarn, and more.

Restoration began on the buildings in 2010 and the historic site was opened to the public in 2012. The site is staffed entirely by volunteers. Admission is by donation. Each year the Homestead features two families from the Upper Green River Valley. This season has featured the Jorgensons and the Mickelsons.

The site is operated as a living history museum which brings many school group tours from around western Wyoming in the fall and spring for educational experiences related to homestead history. The site is open to the public during the summer two days a week in June, July and August. Saturday is the last day open for their regular season for 2014. Special tours can be arranged upon request on other days in the spring and until about mid-October in the fall. For more information about the educational programs, go to www.sommershomestead.org or find the Sommers Homestead on Facebook.

To get to the Homestead, take the East Green River Road west of Pinedale, turning south just before going under the wildlife overpass on US 191. Stay on the high road that follows the Green River and drive 7.3 miles. Watch for signs. The Open House is from 10AM until 3PM.