The official dedication of Mt. Pisgah on December 19, 1950 as a living memorial to the veterans of Saranac Lake. The only person I can identify is Mayor Alton B. Anderson in the fedora, third from the right. Maybe my pal, Garrett Foster, who has done such a great job managing Mt. Pisgah can find that old sign shown in the photo, and if anyone recognizes the others in the photo, please let me know. (Enterprise file photo)

I believe that most of the following information was in a feature story in the Enterprise. The background pieces were gathered and archived by the late Natalie Leduc (nee Natalie Bombard Corl), my friend and 1948 Saranac Lake High School classmate. I really loved the night skiing. Just imagine those other pioneers who worked so diligently in the 1930s to create Mt. Pisgah and The Friends of Mt. Pisgah who worked so hard to make the ski area what it is today.

So the following notes will be placed in a word blender and we’ll see what comes out … a smoothie, I hope.

“The first downhill ski area was developed in 1938 as Charlie Keough and Hector Woods [mentioned in last week’s column] opened ‘Sky View’, a slope on the hillside above Donnelly’s Corners on Route 86.”

[If one stood in the road facing the beautiful old Donnelly Farm house, next to the famous ice cream stand — the former ‘Sky View’ ticket booth for the ski hill — now look to the left and that steep, short hill was the ski hill.] A sophisticated rope tow was devised to assist skiers to the top of the hill and aid the considerably long lines of skiers who congregated there. Popular until the onset of World War II, which motivated developers to look for a site closer to the village to build another ski hill.

“The rope tow was sold to the Village of Saranac Lake, destined to open a ski center later that decade.”

But Sky View continued from December of 1946 to April of 1950 when the Wamsganz brothers, Curt and Raymond, operated the hill while Joe Perry took on the duties of ski instructor.

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Searching for a new ski area

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Thomas Cantwell and John Duquette began to search for a site to build a ski area that would serve the village. Recognizing the advantages of the slopes located on the Harland Branch farm [Jeff Branch’s grandfather and former St. Armand Town Justice] near Trudeau Hill, an urgent request was made to the village board to acquire the property to build the community ski center.

“After several years of debate, a discussion was held with the village board on the evening of November 15, 1948 on the possibility of leasing the property for $500 annually with an option to purchase at a cost of $16,000. One day later the lease was signed and Mt. Pisgah was born.

“A decision to have the Pisgah ski development on the Branch farm property surveyed before the lease was signed. [The info on the lease signing contradicts the above].

“Mayor Alton B. Anderson and the full village board met with the Ski Commission including Robert Demerse, William Dupree and Joseph Munn and also attending the meeting was Mr. Branch and Thomas Cantwell representing the parties who owned the ski tow equipment. Mayor Anderson was instructed to get in touch with surveyor Harold Durgan and have the land surveyed by the next afternoon. [I’ll tell you, these guys didn’t miss a beat.]

“The ski tow equipment was purchased and moved to Mt. Pisgah shortly thereafter. In the first 3 2days of operation the Mt. Pisgah Ski Center took in $564.55 in revenues and incurred only $421.68 in expenses.

“The center continued to grow and on December 16, 1950 it was dedicated as a living memorial to the veterans of Saranac Lake who gave their lives in the service to their country.

“The Saranac Lake Ski Club used the facility for various functions including picnics, clinics and races. The Saranac Lake School District offered free ski lessons as well as transportation to and from the mountain to students in grades two to eight. One of the earliest programs of its kind in the East. The lessons were held five days a week under the guidance of Ms. Leduc, a local PSIA certified instructor.

“In this day and age of large ski centers, with their advanced machinery and high ticket prices, Mt. Pisgah stands as always, an affordable alternative to families of skiers in the Tri-Lakes area.”

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The U.S. Eastern Amateur Ski Association was founded in Saranac Lake

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“The Saranac Lake Ski Club had sponsored the Adirondack Ski Championship [which included ski jumping at Blood Hill, now Lake Street] on a cold winter day in 1922.

“At their annual banquet that same night, held at the Berkeley Hotel, following weeks of skiing events, it spawned the creation of the United States Eastern Amateur Ski Association.”

An excerpt from The Enterprise, no date available …

“In Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks, the sport of downhill skiing is as much a part of the winter landscape as the snow itself. Skiers from across the nation and from around the world have flocked to Saranac Lake for decades to sample the skiing conditions and take part in a tradition that began before the turn of the 20th century.

“With ski clubs forming throughout New England in the 1880’s, a gentleman by the name of John R. Booth brought the first pair of skis to this area from his native Ottawa in 1892. Amazed and curious, the people of Saranac Lake began to manufacture skis at the Branch and Callanan mill off Depot Street under the supervision of Napoleon Bailey, local carpenter.

“As the 1900s began, skis began to take on a different look as bindings became the latest feature and stores began to stock skis. On Slater’s Hill [now the campus of North Country Community College], J. Insley Bair attracted attention to the sport with nine-foot skis, with old Telemarken heel loops, and a nifty maneuver or two…”