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ALF ENGEN AT SUN VALLEY: NORWEGIAN IMMIGRANT PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE IN THE RESORT’S EARLY YEARS - LEADS THE TRANSITION FROM NORDIC TO ALPINE SKIING
John W. Lundin
Alf Engen (1909-1997) immigrated to the U.S. from Mjondalen Norway in 1929,becoming the country’s best ski jumper and Four-Way competitor in the 1930s and 1940s. Alf was the oldest of the remarkable Engen family, that included his brothers Sverre and Karre(Corey). Alf was one of the pioneers who led the transition from Nordic events that dominated skiing in the early years, to alpine skiing in the latter part of the 1930s, along with Birger and Sigmund Ruud, Roy Mikkelsen, Hjalmar Hvam and others
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Stories about the David Rowlands Family of Ellensburg, Washington
Joy Main Smith
Including David's upbringing in Montgomeryshire Wales, his brother Robert's coming to America first, his siblings who stayed in the United Kingdom, and his 32 years with the Northern Pacific Railroad in Ellensburg.
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A collection of 59 Thorp Washington School newspapers between 1923 and 1933
Guy C. Smith
Collected by 1932 Thorp High School graduate Annice L Ross, this book is a collection of the Thorp Bumblebee newspaper published by the Thorp schools.
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To the Land of Unlimited Opportunities: Finkbeiner and Gaiser Stories
Carol Finkbeiner Steinhauer
To the Land of Unlimited Opportunities tell the storiies of the Finkbeiner and Gaiser families from the late 1700's until today.
To the Land of Unlimited Opportunities, ends with the deaths of John and Lydia Finkbeiner. This hardly ends our story. Their seven sons and daughters-in-law gave them thirty-two grandchildren, all but two reached adulthood. Sadly, their only daughter Esther passed away as a young adult in 1926. Five of the seven sons of John and Lydia became ministers of the gospel while two remained on the land and increased the size of the farm over the years. For many years, a Finkbeiner tradition has been an annual family picnic on Memorial Day weekend at the homestead. In 2000, this event celebrated the one-hundredth anniversary of the homestead with two-hundred-twenty in attendance. Twenty-one years have passed since then and we are a much larger family, each with our own stories.
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Ski Lifts, Inc. Bring Tows to the Northwest
John W. Lundin
In the fall of 1937, Ski Lifts, Inc., owned by James Parker, Chauncey Griggs and others, built rope tows at Snoqualmie Summit, Mount Rainier and Mount Baker, bringing the latest in ski technology to the northwest. Those lifts transformed local skiing, as skiers no longer had to hike up hills with skins on their skis for a short run down, but could ride to the top and take what seemed like unlimited runs throughout the day.
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Skiing During World War II: Army Mountain Troops First Train on Mount Rainier, Military Personnel Learn to Ski on Snoqualmie Pass
John W. Lundin
Relatively little has been written about the army’s experimentation with mountain troops before the U.S. entered WW II in December 1941. Beginning in late 1940, men from existing army units were stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington, and trained to ski and in winter warfare on Mt. Rainier. This article discusses that training and civilian efforts to provide winter recreation opportunities for military personnel.
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EARLY DAYS OF SKIING IN THE NORTHWEST: ORGANIZED SKIING BEGAN IN CLE ELUM
John W. Lundin
This article documents early skiing in the Cle Elum area. From 1921 until 1933 the Summit Ski Club (later called Cle Elum Ski Club) held ski jumping competitions. This article also discuses the development of the Northern Pacific Railroad and discovery of coal and subsequent mining operations in upper Kittitas county.
The article's many historic pictures and memorabilia of the Cle Elum Ski Club are courtesy of the Cecelia Maybo family. These materials are now part of the Archives and Special Collections of the James E. Brooks Library at Central Washington University. The article also discusses the Ellensburg Ski Club that existed in the 1930s, and its ski area in Robinson Canyon, and contains historic photos from the University's Archives and Special Collections.
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SIGURD HALL - SKI RACER & MOUNTAINEER Northwest Four-Way Ski Champion A Life Tragically Ended too Soon in the Silver Skis Race on Mt. Rainier in 1940
John W. Lundin
Sigurd Hall was one of the Northwest’s best ski racers and mountaineers when he met his untimely death in the Silver Skis Race on Mount Rainier on April 13, 1940. Born in Norway in 1910 as Sigurd Hoel, Sigurd immigrated to the United States in 1929, to earn money to support his family, intending to stay for five years. However, stayed in this country, became a U.S. citizen in 1935, and made his skiing and mountaineering reputation in Washington State.
Sigurd Hall was first mentioned as a ski racer in the Seattle Times in 1937. Hall was a member of the Mountaineers, and initially competed in cross-country. Later, Hall became the one of the best Four-Way skiers in the United States, competing for the Seattle Ski Club.
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EARLY SKIING ON SNOQUALMIE PASS: THE OPENING OF THE MILWAUKEE SKI BOWL IN THE WINTER OF 1938 CHANGED LOCAL SKIING
John W. Lundin
The late 1930s were exciting times for Pacific Northwest skiers. The opening of the country’s first destination ski resort in Sun Valley, Idaho in 1936, by the Union Pacific Railroad, where the chair lift was invented and first installed, changed the ski industry forever and the area attracted skiers from all over the world. Seattle newspapers regularly reported on local skiers traveling by train to Sun Valley to enjoy the attractions if this international resort.
Western Washington skiing was organized around private ski clubs, and ski racing competitions were held most weekends in many areas accessible by car, including Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, Cayuse Pass, and Snoqualmie Pass. The drives to these ski areas on two-lane icy roads was difficult and required a real commitment to the sport. Ski jumping was one of regular competitive events, reflecting the sport’s Scandinavian influence. The University of Washington had one of the dominant ski teams in the West, and high schools had organized ski clubs. The high degree of interest in skiing can be seen by the extensive coverage of the sport in local newspapers.
This gallery contains works by authors from the greater Central Washington area.
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