Verplanck Colvin, the famed 19th-century surveyor of the Adirondacks, called Gore “a very remarkable mountain.” Its multiple peaks had defeated him and his crew in an attempt to summit and then measure the mountain. It is still remarkable today, as evidenced by throngs of people who come throughout the year to enjoy its terrain in all seasons. However, for me, Gore is synonymous with skiing, and here is at least part of the story of how Gore came to be the magnificent mountain it is today.
To trace the history of skiing in any area is a complicated quest at best. Evidence of skis and skiing go back to 5000 BC in Asia and to 3000 BC in Europe. Fast forward and change continents, the earliest recorded ski club formed in the US was in California in 1867, 6 years after one in Norway. So, do we have any evidence of 19th-century (or earlier) skiing in the Greater Gore Mountain Region? Although we have no extant written records, thankfully we have some photographic evidence of early recreation on the boards from a 1903 photo in an album of collected photographs of Frank Hooper of the Hooper Garnet Mine fame in nearby North River. This album is now in the collection of the ADKX in Blue Mountain. What is notable about the photo is not just the length of the skis (probably 6-7 ft long) or the fashions worn in the winter weather (several ladies are skiing and snowshoeing in long dresses), but the fact that a woman is holding the skis and a man is holding snowshoes. A 1940 article in the North Creek News Enterprise asserts a local cabinet maker, Seneca Smith, made skis of scrap ash wood and Jeff Davis rigged up harness straps in the 1920s. A local history volume by Clarence Jones relates some more early ski lore. He relates that Arthur Prescott and Arnold Stone claim they made the earliest skis in North Creek from plans in found in a youth magazine. Jones claims he gave the first skis in North Creek to Fred Allen, made by gentlemen in a wood shop in Minerva. Regardless, Jones says the first new purchased skis he saw was in 1906, owned by a resident named Jake Wenger. Apparently, they were the primitive toe strap type, but beautifully shaped and finished, an import from a Scandinavian country. I have spoken with another Minerva resident who knew Wenger and his skiing exploits. He confirms Jones story that Wenger built a ski trail on the west side of town that was later incorporated into the local snowmobile trail system. As time progressed, several youths in town had the “homemade” type skis to play around on. So, perhaps the Minerva kids had quite an area to ski, given that large swaths of land were already cleared from widespread Adirondack logging operations.
Joe Minder was a local from North River that attended the school house near the Hooper garnet mine. The Minder Lodge in the Gore Ski Bowl is named for him. In his memoirs, he wrote not only about his experiences in WW II, but also about his early life and his exploits skiing. He was seven years old in 1924, and his teacher had a pair of skis the students could use at recess. Students could also borrow them for the weekend by adding their names to a roster in the classroom. Joe always aimed for the long weekends to have more time skiing on weekends at that ripe young age of seven.
Fast forward to the late 1920s and into the early ‘30s. A ten-minute clip from an O’Keefe Family 16 mm film shows a group of gentlemen dressed in heavy wool hats, jackets and pants on a sunny day surrounded by trees covered in beautiful powder snow. In the next frames they start one by one skiing down a snow-covered road or trail, using wooden sticks to help with slowing and turning. Each of them falls on the way down, of course, and several narrowly miss the skiers that preceded them that are buried to their eyelids in the snow.
In the early years of skiing, equipment was, of course, quite primitive. Many locals took barrel staves to PJ Cunningham’s General Store to have harnesses attached to them for skiing. They worked, but weren’t great. Boots were simple leather footwear that were used for all winter outdoor activity. Longer skis became available with leather toe straps to attach the boots to the skis, but they were flat topped and lacked flexibility. Inevitably equipment improved and became more widely available as popularity of the sport grew. By the time of the arrival of the 1930s “Ride Up/Slide Down” era, American and European made skis were available, as well as bamboo poles with baskets. An advertisement in the Schenectady Union-Star advertises skis, harness, boots, and poles for $13.95 for complete set. Waxes were used to improve glide, but trails went both uphill and downhill. As opposed to early barrel staves, the purchased skis were quite long, many up to seven feet in length. The added length gave great stability but were difficult to turn. One only need to picture trying to turn a long wooden ski (with no metal edges) on an unpacked/ungroomed narrow tote road/trail to see what the skiers were up against in this early era of skiing.
The Olympics Effect
It would be difficult to overestimate the effect the 1932 Lake Placid Olympics had on skiing in the Gore Region. Bringing the III Winter Olympiad to the Adirondacks was a phenomenal event to start with. A group of North Creek outdoorsmen went to Lake Placid to check out the events. They returned with great enthusiasm for more winter sports in the area, and immediately began looking for trails to ski on Gore. There is a 1932 photo of a group at Rabbit Pond scouting trails that includes Judge Bennet, Charles Keseberg, Dr. Harrison Braley, and Butler Cunningham from North Creek and my father, Carl Schaefer, and Bill Gluesing from Schenectady.
Bill and Carl were also part of the contingent of twenty-five from the Mohawk valley hiking club of Schenectady, led by Vincent Schaefer who started it, that went to Lake Placid. This sizable group camped out in lean-tos for two weeks at Adirondack Loj. This group did it all, cooking their meals outdoors, checking out events, skating on Mirror Lake, and skiing into Avalanche Pass. In exchange for tickets, they even emptied train loads of snow from rail cars when a warm spell hit and melted the snow. This group also returned home very enthusiastic about all of these winter sports, especially skiing. In the Depression people heavily relied on public transport like trolleys and trains to travel. The Club formed a Snow Train Committee and put out a petition to the Boston & Maine and Delaware & Hudson railroads for trips to destinations with sufficient snow for skiing. Candidate locations included both North Creek and Wilmington Vt. Vince did a flyover of potential ski areas with Nobel laureate and mentor Dr. Irving Langmuir. Later, snow studies were conducted. It was determined that North Creek held great promise for consistent snow for skiing. Plans were made for trains in the winter of ’33. Unfortunately, they were canceled seven times because of a lack of snow.
There is a common misconception about the ’32 Olympics events. Most have heard of the Norwegian skater Sonja Henning and her figure skating gold medals. Other events included speed skating, curling, bob sledding, hockey, cross country skiing (18 and 50 km) and ski jumping. Dog sledding was a demonstration event. However, there was no “downhill” ski event at that time. Most skiing then was similar to what X-C skiing is now- going up and down over hills. What was happening on the new trails on Gore was a game changer.
The enthusiasm of the Olympic experience led to an organized work force in the Gore Region to build venues for winter sports. Prior to the Olympics, North Creek had already completed a large toboggan run and a lighted skating rink for all to enjoy. An American Legion led group formed the North Creek Ski Club to start work on a ski trail from near the Barton Garnet mine not too far off the Gore summit. The first trail was completed in ’33. It was the 23,000 ft intermediate to expert Pete Gay trail that started with a 20-minute hike up and a wonderful ride down to Rt 28. By April the club was fundraising and making plans for summer work, including the Roaring Brook Trail. The latter became a favorite. Early members were Ken (Judge) Bennet, Butler Cunningham, Warren Ratcliff, Howard Alexander, George Gregory, Charles Sullivan, Downing Braley, and Dr. Harrison Braley.
After learning of the skiing activity in North Creek, Vince made contact to learn more about the new Gore skiing. After some hardy runs down, they made plans to assist the new North Creek Ski Club with work on the trails, and helped cut the new Rabbit Pond Trail. Vince then formed the Gore Mountain Ski Club, a joining of the North Creek Ski Club and Schenectady Wintersports Club. The purpose of the club was to build trails from the Gore summit into the village. The synergy of the two groups working together in one organization paid off. The 1933-34 map of Gore Mountain Ski Trails created by the Schenectady Wintersports Club and Gore Mountain Ski Club shows Pete Gay, Rabbit Pond, and Roaring Brook runs for skiing. Skiers would take cars, trucks, and busses up to the Barton Garnet Mine. After a short hike on skis, the skiers began their decent on one these great trails. These trails were up to 5.5 miles long.
By 1933 with the increase of skiers, Vince Schaefer asked Lois Perret to organize a First Aid Committee to increase skier safety. Lois was a Registered Nurse and SWC member. The committee developed the motto “Be Careful and Think While you Ski.” With Snow Trains later bringing hundreds of skiers to town, the First Aid Committee played an important role in maintaining skier safety on Gore. By 1936 the Committee had telephones at the top and bottom of the trails. Several “sled sheds” (toboggans stowed in metal roofed shelters) were placed around the trails. (The shed on the Raymond Brook Trail is still there all of these decades later). The North Creek News Enterprise reported that the original sheds were built of wood, but porcupines gnawed and destroyed them, so they were replaced with metal ones. The committee developed protocols for skier rescue, and thus became the precursor of the National Ski Patrol. The first committee had ten members, each with first aid kits in their knapsacks and emergency plans if needed. At the end of the day, the trails were “swept” for any lagging skiers. Sn ow trains were held until all made it back safely. One of the local doctors, Dr. James Glenn, developed a splint like device nicknamed the “fracture box” for aiding those who had injured their legs. The splint had hinged wooden sides that, once placed under the injury, would stabilize any fractures or sprains while the injured party was sledded to the bottom.
The Snow Trains
At last, on March 4, 1934 the First Snow Train, “the King Winter Special,” arrived in North Creek from Schenectady, bringing skiers to the Promised Land of snow. We have extant 16 mm film of the first excursion of the 387 enthusiastic winter “sports,” most of them skiers, but not all, who ventured to North Creek on that first train from Schenectady. Many of them participated in skiing games set up in the Ski Bowl and raced short slalom runs while the crowds cheered them on. This first successful excursion led to many more in the winters going all the way up to WW II. After initial trains from Schenectady, they soon originated from Albany and NYC. The visitors on these trains had a tremendous impact on the local economy. Besides the local hotels, many North Creek residents opened their homes to skiers who arrived without any set reservations. Children of local residents were moved to the attic or the basement of their homes to make rooms available. Guests were matched at the train Depot in town with residents providing room and board, and were set for a weekend of fun. Lodging and food were provided at a very reasonable rate. The income from the guests helped out many a family in the long Depression years.
As mentioned before, various modes of transport were used to bring skiers up the mountain to Barton Mines to begin their runs down. After the cold ride up in the back of a truck, many would stop at the “Whoopie House” which was available for hot chocolate and some warm-up time listening to the juke box before heading down. All of the trails (Pete Gay, Ridge, Roaring Brook) started here except Cloud which went off the summit, and Half Way Brook which started near present Garnet Hill.
Several ski enthusiasts had outsized impacts on skiing in the Gore Region in those early years. Local leaders such as Ken Bennet, the Alexander Brothers, Butler Cunningham, Warren Ratcliffe, Howard Alexander, George Gregory, Charles Sullivan, Downing Braley, and Dr. Harrison Braley were influential in organizing and assisting in clearing the initial trails. The Cunnighams began selling ski equipment in their shop. Already mentioned was Vincent Schaefer, a noted meteorologist who founded among other organizations, the Mohawk Valley Hiking Club, and later the Schenectady Wintersports Club. Vincent left high school to help support his family, became an assistant at General Electric Co. to Noble Laureate Dr. Irving Langmuir, and later discovered the process for cloud seeding. Another Schenectadian was William Gluesing. Bill, who was a wonderful magician and showman, also worked for GE with his “House of Magic,” showing the world the wonders of electricity. He created many 16 mm films, several of them like “Ski Legs,” “White Magic,” and “Ride Up-Slide Down” were filmed on the trails of Gore. Shortly after the clearing of trails began on Gore, Vincent thought having Bill give a show in North Creek would generate interest in getting more local people involved in the trail clearing on the mountain. The town fathers agreed, and the show was a huge success, and many volunteered to help. Skiing quickly evolved into taking busses, cars, trucks and assorted vehicles up to the Barton Mines on Gore and skiing down the new trails like Pete Gay. Bill coined the motto for Gore- the “Ride Up-Slide Down” area. Bill’s movies like “Ride Up- Slide Down” were shown to wide audience as promotions, even in NYC in Grand Central Station where Snow Trains later originated.
One segment of the film became very notable. Mischievous Bill Gluesing went out on the Pete Gay trail with dad (Carl Schaefer) and his stuffed bear. The bear was put on a toboggan behind a large boulder and pushed out in front of unsuspecting skiers as they came schussing down the trail. The skiers from the city didn’t realize any real Adirondack bear would be in his cozy den in the middle of winter, and not out on the trails preying on skiers…… so the skiers went hightailing off the trail to escape the bruin that was “pursuing” them! Apparently no one was the worse off after the escapade.
Bill’s Gore Mountain films run a gamut of themes. “White Magic” shows a lot of skiing on Gore, but also spends quite a bit of time showing beautiful powder snow on trees, and ice encased tree branches. He really wanted to artistically show winter’s beauty. He also showcased skiers making the best of a bad winter. His film “1937-The Winter With No Snow” shows skiers doing their best on 6 lonely inches of the white stuff. My favorite sequences in the film include people skiing with wings (utter failure), bizarre harnesses for skiing uphill, and a demonstration of side stepping uphill that only a contortionist could perform. Another called “Ski Legs” is a humorous story of a love triangle complete with a downhill race. However, my favorite remains “The Cloud Trail” which was filmed in 1939. It follows four phenomenal skiers down the very narrow, harrowing Cloud Trail from Gore Summit to bottom. It opens with sunrise filmed from the Gore Mountain Fire Tower and then has multiple sequences of blistering turns in clouds of powder on the way to the base. The film shows how in a few short years, skiing on Gore evolved from back country fun using single ski sticks to steer, to certified instructors schussing down mountain trails with refined, practiced technique in near perfect form.
The First Rope Tow in New York
Not all of the skiing in the Snow Train era was off the top of the mountain. In 1934, my dad, Carl Schaefer, took a trip to Woodstock, Vermont to look at the rope tow that had been installed as a ski lift there. Apparently, he liked what he saw, and carefully observed the construction. In 1935, Bill Gluesing, my dad’s friend and mentor, gave him $100 and told him to go to North Creek and build a tow in what is now the Ski Bowl. With the aid of his friend Eugene Morehouse from Bakers Mills, a little “engine-uity” and a ’29 Buick as he said, and some material from the Alexander Brothers garage, he had the first rope tow in New York running by December 20. The tow was extremely successful. He let local youths ski for free but asked them to “back off” on busy weekends. Rides were 10 for 25 cents. The following year he bought property outside of the Village and moved the tow there. The operation was named Skiland, and included the rope tow, ski instruction, a youth hostel and other amenities. Skiland operated into the late 1930s. A house fire in 1938 was a huge setback for Carl and his ski business.
The Ski Bowl was often referred to “Over the Hill” in that era, as one had to go over a hill to get there. Those familiar with the Gore Region know that the current Route 28 runs near the Ski Bowl but now totally bypasses the village of North Creek. The by-pass was built in the 1960s, reconfiguring access to the Ski Bowl and what eventually became “Little Gore.” The Ski Bowl was a natural recreation area where trails converged. The Ski Bowl owes its existence to Fr. McMahon, pastor of St James Church. In 1934 he purchased 430 acres for the town to use for recreation. He later “sold” the Bowl to the Town for $1.00. Ever since the Ski Bowl has been a valuable recreational resource for the Town of Johnsburg, with Alpine and Nordic skiing, sledding, skating, hiking, and mountain biking. The Ski History Room in the North Creek Depot Museum is dedicated to Fr. McMahon. Ski Schools
My father, Carl Schaefer, started the North Creek Ski School, the first of its kind in “The Crick,” with his ski tow business, operating out of the American Hotel. His promotional slogan was “If You Can Walk, We Can Teach You to Ski.” His instruction was very effective and his business grew. He hired several local high school students to assist, including a well-known local named Dan O’Keefe. Dan, who later became “Dr. Dan” was also on the local high school ski team. He was very proud of winning the Saks Fifth Avenue Trophy awarded in a local ski race. He always said that when he won the trophy he thought it was three feet tall, but it has now shrunk to 12 inches! The trophy is on display in the Fr. McMahon Room of the North Creek Depot Museum. Another ski school was the American Ski School, run by Otto Schneibes. Otto was born in Germany in 1892, and after taking several different positions in the US, became the coach of the Dartmouth Ski Team. He was a great coach and many of his racers went on to US national/Olympic teams. He wrote books on ski technique, and later ran a retail ski business in Wilmington, NY. He opened a ski school in North Creek in 1937. He also coached the local ski team. One of his racers from North Creek, Arnold Alexander, raced for Dartmouth, and was a principal instructor for the Ski School.
The reputation of the Gore Region grew, and so did its popularity. Snow Trains were added that left Grand Central in NYC late Friday night and arrived in the morning in North Creek. A famed sports writer from New York, Jimmy Powers, wrote in 1936 about his experience in this “miniature St. Moritz.” In the article he vividly describes the highly organized arrival and transport of hundreds of skiers, skiing on the wonderful trails, the hospitality given during his stay at the farm house of a retired lumberman, and the many other amenities the town offered. As Powers described it, the school principal who was part of the Gore Mt Ski Club, organized housing for more than 3000 skiers in a town that has 600 residents. It seems every spare room in and around town was used for housing skiers.
More Rope Tows
As the popularity of skiing grew in North Creek, so did the number of rope tows to aid in the uphill transport of skiers. Larry Wilke, a local ski historian, wrote about the tows that came in the “Snow Train” era. After Carl Schaefer moved his first tow to Skiland, Messrs. Higgins and Burns built a new tow in the same location in the Ski Bowl. Another tow above that one was soon added. A third tow (approximately where the Village Chair is located in the Bowl) was added by 1941. The Barton Tow opened in 1938 near the Garnet Lodge at Barton Mines. From the tow it was a short distance to the trails that radiated down to town from Ives Dam. The Log House Tow was built next to what is now Garnet Hill Lodge in 1938. This was an 800 ft tow powered by a Buick. Skiers could ski the slopes there, or head out on any of the trails toward North Creek or the Siamese Ponds Wilderness. The Straight Farm was on the east side of Peaceful Valley opposite current Gore Mt. A Chevy truck powered the Straight Tow that was built around ’38. Besides skiing, the Straights offered full room and board for skiers. The White Horse Ranch south of nearby Wevertown had two rope tows built in the 1930s. The “Ranch” still exists, but is now a Bed and Breakfast under a different name.
The Garnet Trail
Perhaps one of the most famous trails on Gore was a later addition, the Garnet Trail. Named by P.J. Cunningham, District Forest Ranger, for the famous ruby colored mineral mined on Gore, the trail went from the summit down to the Garnet Lodge near the mine. The trail was for advanced skiers only, and one had to hike up the trail to ski it. It opened on Dec. 30, 1939. C R Barton, President of Barton Mines, presented garnets to those selected to make the first run at the christening of the trail. Among those making the first run were Dot Hoyt of Schenectady, a member of the American Women’s Ski Team, and Butler Cunningham, Dick Parker, Arnold Alexander and Wilson Hassletine, all of North Creek. The Depot Museum shows film clips of young Frederica “Freddie” Anderson (head of Schenectady Ski School who turned 100 in February) in her classic plaid skirt skiing the trail.
The Ski Hut in the Ski Bowl
In November of 1940, the Johnsburg Town Board authorized the building of a Ski Hut in the McMahon Bowl . It was built with help from the Works Progress Administration (WPA), and many local builders were involved in its construction. It’s design was “Government Rustic,” (a design likely replicated in other locations round the country), and included a large fireplace that would hold 4 foot logs. On a frigid day in January of 1942, it’s reported 1000 skiers showed up for the unofficial opening day. The Gore Mountain Ski Club members sold food and refreshments to hungry skiers to raise money for activities and the Ski Patrol. But the Ski Hut provided more than a much needed place to warm up while skiing at the Village Slopes. It became a de facto community center where many family and town events took place over the decades. Unfortunately the Ski Hut burned to the ground in 1999. The Hut is forever missed by many members of the Johnsburg Community.
Skiing into the 1940s
Skiing on the Gore trails “Ride Up-Slide Down” style continued into next decade. Beside the crowds coming on the Snow Trains to ski the trails and ride the tows, scholastic and amateur events like the race for the Barton Trophy frequently took place. Ski conditions varied greatly in the pre-snowmaking era, but on most weekends enough good snow was found to keep the skiers happy. Even a large ice storm that encased the summit in ice did not stop the show. By 1943, WW II took its toll. With gas and tire rationing, and many heading off to war, skiing was reduced to herringbone climbing up the trails as transportation to the mine could not be supported. Many from Johnsburg went off to fight the war, including a large group (Carson Freebern- Killed in Action, Perry Ehlers, Arnold Alexander, Art Draper, Wallace Arnheiter, Francois Bertrand, Richard Jaeger, Richard Williams, Phil Santisero, Fred Vetter) that fought with 10th Mountain Division ski troops in Italy. These soldiers trained in Colorado and fought important battles in Italy, turning the direction of the war. Many of them deserve a separate chapter here for their contributions to skiing.
Gore, the “very remarkable mountain,” had a good run through the Depression. The Post-War era would see the next important chapter of Gore ski history begin when the T-bar is built in the Ski Bowl of North Creek. Stay tuned……