Welcome sign refurbished on north end of Seeley Lake

SEELEY LAKE – After being prompted into action by the repainting of the carved bears and Clearwater Mini Storage's new Welcome sign on the west side of Highway 83, local artist and graphic designer Kris Gullikson replaced the old "Welcome to Seeley Lake" sign. She has been part of the effort to install gateway signs on the north and south end of Seeley Lake for 35 years.

"I wanted to be proud of coming home - and have others here feel the same," wrote Gullikson in an email. 

The idea to brand Seeley Lake started in the early 1980s. Gullikson was a recent graduate of art school when she moved to Seeley Lake in 1983. She started helping businesses with signage as a way to beautify the town. She built 30 signs during a three-year period.

After leaving the valley for more than 20 years, when Gullikson returned in 2008 she again started instigating the project to install gateway signs at the north and south ends of Seeley Lake.

"I have attended the Governor's conference on tourism twice and heard over and over how important wayfinding signage is in a town, that included the 'Welcome to' sign," wrote Gullikson. "No wonder people don't remember if they have driven through Seeley Lake or not on the way to Glacier Park!"

Wayfinding signage, in its simplest definition, is any type of sign that gives direction. They exist to help a customer find their way without lengthy explanations or complicated maps. With signs to guide customers along the way, they should be able to find their destination with ease.

In the mid-1990s, the Seeley Lake Community Council started a welcome sign project for the community under the leadership of the late Dan Mizner. "Welcome to Seeley Lake" signs were placed on both the north and south ends along Highway 83. Seeley Lake resident Joy Clemens painted the signs and the late Dolly Hill carved the bears to accompany them.

Articles in the Seeley Swan Pathfinder archives throughout the late-1990s and early 2000s highlighted discussions between the Seeley Lake Community Council, Seeley Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and concerned residents about sign ownership and upkeep with no resolution printed.

At some point, the sign and bears on the south end of Seeley Lake were removed. The Welcome sign and bears on the north end remained, but have seen very little maintenance or upkeep.

In 2010, Seeley Lake formed a branding committee to reinvigorate the effort to brand Seeley Lake. In the fall of 2015 the research done by the initial branding committee combined with new ideas from members of the Seeley Lake Community Foundation and several business owners to create a logo and slogan for Seeley Lake.

"The Foundation committee proposed a much smaller group and finally got done what has taken so long to do, which is really very simple: Give the community an identifiable logo and tag line that can be used anywhere and in combination with any business' current logo/brand to build a unique brand for Seeley Lake," wrote Gullikson.

The SLCF branding committee received more than 100 designs for the Seeley Lake logo and tag line, including two images created by Gullikson. The group selected Gullikson's logo, which included the western larch tree, the shape of the state of Montana and the lake, and the slogan "Change Your Pace."

"The logo shows what we are most proud of: mountains, lakes and our beautiful Tamaracks on the Montana shaped background," wrote Anne Beach, SLCF executive director at the time. "We believe the slogan that Seeley Lake is the perfect place to Change Your Pace. Whether that be boating, mountain biking, or relaxing and taking in the fresh mountain air. Change Your Pace can be an adrenaline rush on a snowmobile or decompressing while fly fishing."

The new Seeley Lake logo and slogan were unveiled in April 2016. They are available for anyone to use to help promote Seeley Lake. The SLCF purchased banners and placed them on the light poles downtown to welcome visitors into the community. Businesses also incorporated the logo into their uniforms and other merchandise.

This past August, Clearwater Mini Storage installed a "Welcome to Seeley Lake" sign on the west side of Highway 83 on the north end of Seeley Lake. The old sign with the bears remained on the east side just south of the Veterans Memorial Garden.

After Lake Alva campground hosts Sandra Paulick and Tim Kelliher painted the bears, Gullikson decided to replace the sign. She purchased the MDO board from Timberline Building Materials for the sign. Gullikson laughed when she said owner Bud Johnson told her he's had the board for 20 years since Clemens was painting signs.

Gullikson painted the Seeley Lake logo on the sign. The Branding Shack in Seeley Lake put the vinyl lettering, including the Change Your Pace slogan, on the sign at no cost.

While the population listed on the old welcome sign was 2,500, after researching Seeley Lake's population via the census and getting a general consensus from people in the community, Gullikson decided on 1299+ because, "we know it is growing" Gullikson said and laughed. A little humor on a public display never hurt anyone."

Finally she added in "In the Middle of Everywhere." This is part of the messaging from the ReImaging Rural sessions that the Foundation hosted this fall. Instead of saying "in the middle of nowhere," this messaging shifts the focus to the positive influence rural communities have on the landscape and their contributions to the economic and cultural fiber of the state.

Gullikson will now be focusing on trying to find a private landowner to build and erect the sign design, or something similar, that she designed for the Foundation three years ago for the south end of Seeley Lake.

"This sign is my present to Seeley Lake. I'm thinking it WILL BE SEEN since it is so bright and cheery!" wrote Gullikson. "MERRY CHRISTMAS SEELEY LAKE!"