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Western Ski Promotions - Clippings

I borrowed clippings files from Joan Brown of Western Ski Promotions and made photocopies of selected pages.

North Cascades National Park

The Western Ski Promotions files contain articles about the North Cascades Study Team report released in January 1966 and the hearings held on February 11-12, 1966. The following articles are listed for reference (no detailed notes). Articles in bold face are especially interesting. A number in square brackets is a page number in my clippings folder:

• Seattle Times, Jan 6, 1966 - Lyle Burt, "U.S. Team Urges New N. Cascades National Park" [1]
• Seattle Times, [circa] Jan 7, 1966 - Lyle Burt, "North Cascade-Park Proposal Greeted By Mixed Reactions" [32]
• Seattle Times, Jan 10, 1966 - "N. Cascades Council Offers New Park Plan" [7]
• Seattle Times, Jan 16, 1966 - Alan Pratt [cartoon], "Ah Wilderness, Maybe" [8]
• Wenatchee World, Feb 1, 1966 - "Commercial Ski Areas OK In Park" [14]
• Bellingham Herald, Feb 6, 1966 - Editorial: "Why Should 'Park' Be a Dirty Word?" [15]
• Seattle P-I, Feb 6, 1966 - Robert Cour, "Big Battle of Pros, Cons Due" [17]
• Seattle P-I, [circa] Feb 6, 1966 - Brock Evans, "North Cascades Plan Should not be a Compromise [25]
• Seattle Times, Feb 6, 1966 - Editorial [pro-park]: "A North Cascades Park" [16]
• Seattle P-I, Feb 11, 1966 - Robert Cour, "Cascades Recreation Area Urged Rather Than Park" [2]
• Seattle P-I, Feb 11, 1966 - Editorial [anti-park]: "North Cascades" [23]
• Seattle Times, Feb 11, 1966 - Walt Woodward, "Pros and Cons on U.S. Parks Heard" [31]
• Seattle P-I, Feb 12, 1966 - Robert Cour, "Park Study A Hot Topic" [28]
• Seattle Times, Feb 12, 1966 - Walt Woodward, "Evans Asks 'Traditional' National Park" [20]
• Seattle Times, Feb 12, 1966 - Walt Woodward, "Opponents, Proponents Give Views on North Cascades Park Plan" [30]
• Seattle Times, Feb 13, 1966 - Walt Woodward, "Witnesses Favor N. Cascades Park By 2-to-1 Margin" [36]
• Seattle P-I, Feb 13, 1966 - Robert Cour, "Recreation Aid, Jackson Back Olympic Park Cuts" [33]
• Seattle P-I, Feb 13, 1966 - William O. Douglas, "What Will De Do With Our Glorious Northern Cascades?" [34]
• Wenatchee World, Feb 13, 1966 - Hu Blonk, "National Park Service Criticized At Hearing" [38]
• Yakima Herald, Feb 20, 1966 - Liggett Taylor, "Area Sportsmen Seek Signatures" [40]
• Seattle Times, Feb 37, 1966 - William W. Prochnau, "Opposition to Parks Usually Disappears Soon, Says Report" [42]

Seattle P-I, Feb 20, 1966 - Dan Coughlin, "Ski Industry Is in Danger" [15]

The expansion of skiing in Washington is in jeopardy if proposals of the North Cascades Study Team to create additional wilderness or park areas in the state are accepted without substantial change. At stake are 1.6 million acres of land (2,500 square miles, about one-sixth the size of Switzerland). Skiing in Washington has grown at about 19 percent per year for the past five years. F.D. ("Skip") Voorhees of Renton's Milmanco Corp, Max Meyring of the Pacific Northwest Ski Association, and Bob Grant, geologist, surveyed the state with an eye to possible resort developments. They found 14 of the state's 15 potential major ski sites in or on the fringe of proposed park or wilderness tracts. They believe the six most feasible sites are:

• Komo-Kulshan, elev. 5,000-8,000 ft
• Liberty Bell, elev. 4,500-7,000 ft
• Snow King Mountain, elev. 4,000-7,500 ft
• Mt Hinman, elev. 2,500-7,500 ft
• Big Snow Mountain, elev. 3,000-6,700 ft
• Fortune Creek (near Ingalls Pk), elev. 4,000-6,500 ft

The Komo-Kulshan site is on or near the Mt Baker volcano, but the article does not clarify where. Mt Hinman, Big Snow, and Fortune Creek are in the proposed Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Voorhees says, "Washington State should conduct its own site evaluation and economic study before this land is sealed off forever."

Miscellaneous Clippings

I made copies of the following articles:

• Argus, Mar 4, 1966 - "Crystal Mountain fulfills long effort to get resort" (good brief history) [44]
• Articles about Seattle P-I Silver Skis championships held at Crystal Mountain on the following dates [45-49]:
  • April 2-4, 1965 (U.S. National Alpine Championship)
  • February 26, 1966
  • January 21-22, 1967
• Seattle P-I, Mar 1, 1967 - Blaine Freer, "Mt. Pilchuck: A Challenge" [50]
• Everett Herald, Mar 18, 1967 - Allan May, "Mt. Pilchuck's Challenging Ski Slopes" [51]
• Several south-central Washington papers (circa October 6, 1966) report on the transfer of ownership of the Satus Pass Ski Area from the Washington State Department of Parks and Recreation to Klickitat County and the installation of a new 1800-foot T-bar. [52-53]
• An October 1966 Seattle Ski Fair press release includes background on H.B. Cunningham, former Garfield High teacher (1914-43), proprietor of the "first ski shop in the Northwest" (Cunningham's, 1920-47), "head guide" at Mt Rainier (1925-34), and Boeing Company employee training supervisor (1943-58). [54]

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