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• 1 media/p0673_00037.jpg 2023-01-10T13:44:06-08:00 Overview of Ski History 42 plain 2023-06-12T06:24:24-07:00

  Early Skiing in Europe

  Modern skiing was introduced in Norway and Sweden during the Viking age in the 6th and 11th centuries. Prior to the 18th century, Scandinavian countries staged cross-country ski races. The first known ski race took place in Sweden in 1883, and was held the same year the Stockholms Skidlopareklub was organized. That same year the Norwegian Ski Association was organized, and ski jumping competitions were held on Huseby Hill near Oslo. Holmenkollbakken, which is still relevant today, began holding tournaments in 1892. 
  
  

  Early Skiing in America

  Skiing was brought to America by Norwegian migrants during the 1840s-1850s. Settlers in Minnesota and Wisconsin used skis for cross country travel. One of the earliest known skiers in the United States was John Albert Thompson, though he was better known by his nickname, Snowshoe Thompson. Thompson homesteaded in California during the Gold Rush of 1840. From 1856 to 1876, he delivered mail between California and Nevada using the style of skiing that he had learned as a boy in Telemark. His nickname, Snowshoe, is misleading: He actually got around on a pair of 10-foot skis and used a single sturdy pole for balance. 
  
  In 1885, a ski club was formed among engineers of the Pennsylvania Railroad Laboratory in Altoona. That same year, Minneapolis Den Norske Turn og Skiforening, which concentrated on cross-country skiing, formed and was present at the St. Paul Ice Carnival. In 1886, the Aurora Ski Club of Red Wing (Minnesota) formed, and a year later a ski jumping tournament was introduced by Mikel Hemmestvedt (a Norwegian ski jumping champion), his brother Torjus, and a handful of other skiers. The Aurora Ski Club traveled to various cities which prompted creation of other ski organizations across the country to form. Most importantly, the crew of skiers from Red Wing inspired the formation of the Ishpeming Ski Club in 1901.  
   

  History of Ishpeming Ski Club

  The Ishpeming Ski Club, formerly known as the Norden Ski Club, is an important story in the development of the ski sport in America and to the development of the National Ski Association. The club was first formed in Ishpeming (Upper Peninsula of Michigan) in 1887 by I. Thorstensen, Hogan Asgard, Lars Hoyseth, Peter Saltness and Ole Rye. The first tournament was held in February 1888 at the Lake Angeline mine.
  
  After a series of tournaments, clubs organized what was to be called the "Central Organization'' in 1891. This included members of ski clubs in Ishpeming, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Red Wing, St. Croix Falls, Eau Claire, Stoughton, Albert Lea, La Crosse, and Winona. The first annual meeting of the Central Organization was held in January 1891. Prizes were won by Torjus Hemmestvedt (Red Wing), Ludvig Hjermstad (Red Wing), Chris Volkman (Eau Claire), Mikel Usted (Ishpeming) and Ole Sunlie (Ishpeming). 
  
  
  
  Sources to explore: 
  Aurora Ski Club Central Championship meet pamphlet, 1932 February 21
  History of the National Ski Association and The Ski Sport, 1840-1931
  “Sondre Norheim: Folk Hero to Immigrant,”by  John Weinstock (Norwegian-American Studies, Vol. 29)