During the 1930's, some residents of Indiana, Grand Rapids and Cadillac were participating in winter sports, and were interested in starting a local ski area. The United States Forest Service co-operated, and a winter ski area was created, (near Traverse City, and Big Bear Dunes) with a Civilian Conservation Corps building and a single ski run, known as "Number One" being built, making it the fourth oldest ski resort in the United States
The first ski lift, a rope tow, was powered by a Ford Model A car engine. This engine was later replaced by a Packard Motor car engine.
The area, formed and built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, had toboggan slides and downhill ski trails but no up-hill transportation. The club soon installed an old Dodge engine and an engineer/member from Shakespeare Fishing Gear of Kalamazoo designed a rope tow.
The local high school kids were transported by school buses on Saturdays to ski until the area closed in March 1942 due to World War II.
With the return of veterans, many of whom served in the 10thMountain Division Ski Troops, the Club membership increased, and a ski patrol was formed under the direction of "Buck" Rogers of Manistee and the ski school was directed by Monty Montague of the 10th Mountain Troops.
Caberfae moved tons of earth from the bottom of two peaks to the top, boosting its vertical drop from 270 to 485 feet. “Their vertical expansion of two central peaks was accompanied by a horizontal contraction from the far-flung borders and the closing of a dozen-plus lifts, which they could never adequately cover with snowmaking
The terrain is unique for the Midwest. The artificial hills create a sensation of above-treeline skiing that is otherwise absent between Sugarloaf and Loveland.
Immediately the club purchased two Packard engines for $103.00 plus other necessary materials for $58.59. These were delivered to Camp Axin, the C.C.C.camp, on January 12, 1941. Oldberg Engineereing Co. donated two mufflers, two instrument panels, and one transmission for $79.46. So two more rope tows were added for uphill convenience.
The local high school kids were transported by school buses on Saturdays to ski until the area closed in March 1942 due to World War II.
With the return of veterans, many of whom served in the 10thMountain Division Ski Troops, the Club membership increased, and a ski patrol was formed under the direction of "Buck" Rogers of Manistee and the ski school was directed by Monty Montague of the 10th Mountain Troops.
Notable members of the ski club were Gerald Ford, prior to becoming a Legislative House member and President, and Paul Bailey, founder of Arby's and a major investor in the Copper Mountain Ski Resort, Colorado., and Anson "Tony" Hedgecock, Jr. coach of the men's alpine team from 1975 through the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics
Caberfae moved tons of earth from the bottom of two peaks to the top, boosting its vertical drop from 270 to 485 feet. “Their vertical expansion of two central peaks was accompanied by a horizontal contraction from the far-flung borders and the closing of a dozen-plus lifts, which they could never adequately cover with snowmaking
The terrain is unique for the Midwest. The artificial hills create a sensation of above-treeline skiing that is otherwise absent between Sugarloaf and Loveland.
1949 map above, 1958 below
https://www.stormskiing.com/p/podcast-50-caberfae-peaks-michigan does the most amazing post about this, in addition to a podcast... and included the links to the maps, took the really good large photos, etc
https://youtu.be/HJ7srsr7M9A for a live online camera feed of the skislopes
I remember as a little kid, between 5 and 10 years old, we went someplace in Michigan that had a toboggan run. The 1958 map says that is 16 miles west of Cadillac. That's only about an hour and a half from where we lived. I don't know if there are, or were, any other places like that in Michigan.
ReplyDeletethere couldn't be. Michigan is so damn flat. That's cool that you remember this, and they had a toboggan run back when, I read about it, and how they decided to change and do away with it.
DeleteIt would be very coincidental if you had a sled or toboggan from that Kalamazoo company I just posted about
We did have a toboggan, and a couple of sleds, but I have no clue, or memory of where they were from, or whatever happened to them.
ReplyDeleteI grew up near Mohawk Ski area in Connecticut. When I was a kid I often skied there, because local kids got free tow tickets every day but Sunday until they were 14. Before they had lifts in the early 60's, they had only rope tows, all powered by flathead Ford V8's. As I recall there were three stages to get to the top of the mountain, and on the main line, they were from Mercuries for a little extra zip. Scary fast. For a while the tows coexisted with the lifts, but kids didn't get lift tickets free until sometime around 1964. I wasn't a very good skier, but I loved the tows. Many people found them hard to use, crashed and got hurt, or had special fancy rope grabbers, but I became quite skilled. I'd go to sleep at night with the undulating tow tracks burned into my brain. I think I went down more for the fun of going up that the other way around.
ReplyDeleteThe school I went to for a while, when it replaced its '39 Ford school bus, hired a person (possibly the same one who did the tows at Mohawk) to set it up as a rope tow, doubling as a shelter for putting your skis on. Their previous tow had been a semi-portable one using, I think, a Wisconsin air cooled engine.
A school I went to later also had a ski slope, and their rope tow was made from a mid-30's Ford phaeton, almost complete. When they updated it, some of the people on the ski team freed it, found where the wheels with tires had been put, and drove it around. Alas, I don't know what became of it.
GREAT story! Thank you! I'll look around the internet later and see if I can find anything online about that ski area and the bus... very cool idea, using it for power and shelter! But the fact that the phaeton was driven again is incredible!
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