Alpenglow Ski Mountaineering History Project Previous | Next | Home
Tacoma News Tribune, 1900-49
To obtain copies of these articles, try the Microforms Collection at UW Libraries.Tacoma News Tribune, 1940s
Mar 29, 1942 - Welch, Stuart, "Train New Fighting Force on Snowy Peak"
This article was written following an inspection tour by the press to view mountain troops training on Mt Rainier. The troops are all volunteers and at least 30 percent were expert skiers when they joined the force. Other troops were picked from veteran mountain climbers, forest rangers and cavalrymen. The mountain force has an exceptionally high percentage of college students and all its officers are college graduates. They will train on the mountain until late May. The men are being trained to meet mountain conditions in winter or summer and in any type of weather. Skiing is only one phase of the training.Side articles describe a motorized toboggan (primitive snowmobile) under development by the Army and the mountain troop glee club, which has created a mythical hero named Oola, "ski jumper from Norway, bought up on lutefisk and sill." There are photos of the ski troops in whites climbing en-masse above Paradise, soldiers testing a motor toboggan, snowshoe teams pulling sleds, and a trooper aiming a rifle from an ice cave during a sniper drill.
Jan 5, 1947 - Clifford, Howie, "Mt Rainier Biggest Magnet for N.W. Skiers"
"Other ski centers may have their aerial tramways, super-chair lifts, expensive and beautiful lodges, swimming pools, skating rinks and the such but Mount Rainier, located some 55 miles from the heart of Tacoma, is still the grandaddy of all ski resorts." The author boasts of Rainier's heavy snowfall and challenging terrain. A photo caption notes that Rainier is "still the mecca for skiers from all over the Pacific Northwest despite its lack of modern facilities." In 1941, Paradise recorded 140,000 winter sports visitors. In 1946, the first post-war season, visitation rebounded to 102,000 skiers, despite a late start. Rainier offers overnight accomodation for 200 people on weekends. The author discusses other local ski centers, including a few that I haven't seen in print before. No chairlifts are in operation at any of these areas yet:
- Cayuse Pass
- Stampede and Martin, home of University of Washington and Mountaineer ski hills
- Snoqualmie Pass
- Milwaukee Bowl, which has installed a ski-boggan lift this season
- Eastern Slope resort on Mt Margaret above Lake Keechelus, with a 1,000-foot rope tow
- Stevens Pass
- Mt Baker
- Spirit Lake on Mt St Helens, which boasts a 1,200-foot rope tow
- Deer Park in the Olympics
- American River bowl near Yakima
- Mt Spokane
- Railroad Creek near Holden
- Swauk area near Cle Elum and Ellensburg
- Leavenworth
- Mt Hood
Feb 17, 1948 - Clifford, Howard, "Skiing a Multi-Million Dollar Business in Washington Today"
Although skiing is still suffering from the growing pains of inadequate facilities, it has become one of Washington's big industries, with residents of the state spending close to $5,000,000 annually on the sport. Last season, Paradise Valley was open on weekends only and attracted about 80,000 visitors during a "16 day season." During the summer months a T-bar lift was installed at Stevens Pass, the first in the state. The author briefly discusses other ski areas in Washington, including Snoqualmie Pass, Milwaukee Ski Bowl at Hyak, Cayuse Pass, Mt Baker, Leavenworth, Stampede Pass near Martin, American River and Gold Hills east of Chinook Pass, Mt Spokane, Mt St Helens, Deer Park, Swauk on Blewett Pass, Eastern Slopes near Lake Keechelus, Okanogan at Salmon Meadows, Entiat, Waterville, and Chewelah Peak.
Previous Return to the Alpenglow Ski Mountaineering History Project home page Next