A History of Skiing at Gore Mountain
Chapter 12

By Dr. Dan O'Keeffe and Mary C. Moro
As Told to Toni Anderson-Somme

As World War Il drew to an end, our North Creek Veterans returned home, eager to reunite with their families and return to some semblance of normalcy. It was hard to imagine, in those early days of rediscovered peace, that the economy of America was about to burst into full flower. And flower, it did, at an unprecedented rate, displacing Great Britain and becoming the world's largest and most dynamic economy. Locally, many of our manufacturing plants that had been converted to miltary use were now being re-converted to civilian use once again. General Electric in Schenectady was one of the main sources of employment for many of our returning veterans.

Consumer installment loans and residential mortgages made it increasingly easy for these veterans to become homeowners and G. I. mortgages, with their low down payments, brought the American Dream that much closer. Goods such as modern appliances and automobiles were within the reach of the average wage earner now and with this surging economy came abundant employment opportunities.

In North River, about five miles north of "the crick" Barton's Mines became a major source of work opportunity. National Lead located in Tahawus in Newcomb, N.Y. was the other big employer. It was, for so many, a time of optimism and 'great expectations Clam bakes, circuses and minstrel shows featuring local entertainers, supplied most of the entertain-ment. Sunday afternoon baseball games were resumed at the ski bowl, where skiing history was about to be made. After the horror of war, North Creek had settled into its typical, idyllic small-town life once more, but the time was ripe to embark on bold ventures.

Skiing, which had become so large a part of our local scene in the "Ride up - Ski Down" years, starting in the 1930's, was about to experience a rebirth as well. Areas in New York State featuring ski "lifts" were all but non-existent, although they were now being used in the New England area - Vermont being one of the first to take advantage of this new invention.

In late 1945 or early 1946, a group of local businessmen made a decision that would ultimately result in the Gore Mountain Ski Area featuring not only a "ski tow" but also a ground-breaking "ski lift." The 839 vertical feet of Gore Mountain offered plenty of room for ski trails and the obvious need for a lift.

Attorney Philip Brassel did the legal work, electing the corporate business form to avert personal injury lawsuits what was known to be a risky sport. It also made raising construction money easier with the issuance of stock certificates.

Brassel had previously practiced law in New York City and had come to North Creek at the time of the Great Depression to establish a small town practice and marry his sweetheart, Elizabeth Cronin.

The original certificate book was safeguarded by the Brassel family and is now on display at the North Creek Railway Department Museum. It is interesting that the certificates had been reattached to the certificate stubs, an indication that the shareholders had recovered their original investment. Kate Sheehan who later became Kate Gould, another local girl, had learned accounting at Albany Business School. She did the bookkeeping.

It was obvious that every aspect in the development of this successful enterprise had become a community affair.

Sking had continued throughout the war, but somehow Gore, for that time period, had seemed a lesser place just as the world had become, somehow, diminished. World War II had brought the end of the first phase of Gore's history of skiing, but a new phase was about to begin and it arrived with the building of the first metal tower ski lift in the United States. It was built at the ski slopes by the newly formed Gore Mountain Ski Corporation and the Roebling Corp., the same corporation that built the Brooklyn Bridge.

Things were never going to be the same, and we could never hope for them to be, after such a world-wide tragedy. But in our little corner of the mountain, new ideas and dreams were developing and our history, I am happy to say, was just beginning.