SNOMA ......
MORE THAN A CEMETERY
The Finnish people made their settlement on the Belle Fourche River. Trees and other natural resources were ample to bring about a quick rising town. Other settlements were not far away and many could be reached within a day`s journey.
In 1878, Mr. and Mrs. Pembroke Stearns established the first general store and mail service from a log cabin. Supplies for their store came from Minnisela, St. Onge, and Deadwood trading ports by team and wagon. During a flood, the store was washed away, so they moved it to higher ground.
Suomi was the original name for the town and was a name given by the Finnish to mean Finland. But the name was difficult to pronounce and confusing so it was decided that a new name was needed.
In 1890, Benjamin Hasti chaired the committee to change the name and establish a town government. The name was changed to Snoma, as we know it today, and on March 31, 1890, Snoma was granted a legal post office.
With these two establishments, the town began to see a small boom and many other businesses came into effect soon after. These included: a saloon, a blacksmith shop, a lumberyard, a hardware store, a neighborhood ice house, a livery stable, a two story hotel, and a barbershop.
Snoma`s biggest asset was a Main Street soft-water artesian well. H.M. Stearns drilled it in 1906. It was 754 feet deep and ran 15 gallons per minute. It still flows today, but at a slower rate. This is the last remaining landmark of a once important trading center.
Many families still remain in the communities surrounding the original homesteads including: Fruitdale, Belle Fourche, Spearfish, and Deadwood. These families are still noted for their credibility and honesty traits famous in the Finn people. A few famous names were the Karinens, the Johnsons, the Ericksons, the Nivas, the Palos, the Laksons, and the Larsons.
Today, twisted oak trees and billowing prairie grasses sweep unbothered by any previous civilization. There is no evidence of any town called Snoma or of any residents united in a way. The only clue would be that of the Snoma cemetery and the names engraved on the tombstones.