Improvements keep Paradise water flowing
Matt Unrau
Valley Press
People from all over have a love affair with Hermes’ Water, also known as Paradise Water, outside of Paradise. The natural water fountain has provided clean fresh water to passerby’s for close to 100 years with a lifespan as long as the railroad that caused its formation.
People come by and taste the delicious water and then pen their own love letters on top of the lid that covers the syphon. It’s been called “sweet tears from the goddess” and “God’s water” and “best water of the rockies.”
People have written gratitude for the cool refreshment. “This is our favorite spot to stop. Thank you. The water is the best,” says a family from Kalispell. Another lady wrote “the earth is getting hotter. So, thank God for this water.” A man states it more simply, “this water is amazing.”
Mary Lou Hermes, who lives on the property with her husband, daughter and son-in-law knows the exact reason for the water’s popularity. “it’s popular, because it tastes good,” say Hermes. “It’s not chlorinated. It’s really soft. When I put it in my hot tub I have to add calcium.”
This water pump, which sits right off of highway 200, one mile east of Paradise now sees daily use from a variety of people. Hermes even remembers a time when during one winter when many Sanders County residents pipes froze, they would all take trips to the pump for their water.
The natural phenomenon all started with the railroad who built the syphon when they separated Norman Herme’s grandfather’s farm on the north from their water supply of Kennedy Creek on the south.
The water is syphoned under the railroad to the pump, known as Herme’s Water, and continues on down to the house.
The system has such natural water pressure that the Herme’s house doesn’t use any pumps to get their water from point A to point B.
For the next 100 years the pump has been a popular resting spot for anyone looking to quench their thirst on highway 200. People from all over Western Montana have visited the site including Kalispell, Polson, Missoula and Ronan.
“it’s a widely known water place,” says Mary Lou who has drunk from the water source ever since she came back to Paradise to live.
However, over the years the fountain has disintegrated from Nature’s wear and Human use. So, Mary Lou and the Plains Woman’s Club took it upon themselves to repair the well-known landmark.
During the last week of May they replaced the lid with one bigger and better than before and replaced the cement, which was nearly crumbling to pieces.
The project took four days and cost $1,000, not including the price of the labor. . Initially fronting the money themselves to keep this water supply flowing Mary Lou and the Plains Women’s Club are now asking for donations from anyone who has enjoyed their water site over the years.
“We’re hoping people would be willing to donate for the cost of the rebuild,” says Mary Lou. Any donations should be made to Paradise Water at the Rocky Mountain Bank in Plains.