|
Divide
Ski Area 1939
to Late 1940's |
| Name of Ski
Area: |
Divide
Ski Area, Mile 12 Ski Area, Lost Lake |
| Location: |
Seward,
Mile 12 of the Seward Highway at a location called Divide (the
watershed divide between Resurrection and Kenai River
drainages), approximately 1500 feet by trail to the west.
The trail would take you to the top of ridge, where the cabin
and rope tow were situated. The ski hill went downhill to
the west from the top of the ridge, to Ski Lake. |
| Type of Area: |
Ski
Hill, Ski Jump |
| Dates of
Operation: |
1939
to Late 1940's, ski cabin used into the late 1950's |
| Who Built It?: |
The CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps), site picked by Joe Werner
and the Seward Ski Club. |
| Base/Top/
Vertical Drop: |
Base: ~750' / Top: ~900' /
Vertical: ~150' |
| Lifts: |
Rope tow. Original tow was powered by a Model A Ford
engine. The Seward Ski Club installed this tow for about
100 dollars. It is possible in the 1940's that the
military added a 2nd rope tow to this ski area, but this fact
has not been verified. |
| Facilities: |
The Seward Ski Club began work on a cabin as soon as the ski
area was cleared by the CCC. But the Chugach National
Forest deemed this structure too shoddy (see reference below),
so the club built a smaller cabin to on the ridge to the north
of the original site. There was also "night skiing" by use
of gas lanterns lining the ski area. |
|
History: |
In 1939 the CCC cleared this ski area
with guidance and help from the Seward Ski Club and the Chugach National
Forest. The Seward Ski Club built a shelter cabin here.
During WWII the U.S. Army used this site for recreation and
troop training. And likely the Army provided support in
operating this ski area. After WWII the Seward Ski Club
was reissued a permit by the CNF to operate the ski area.
| In Mary J. Barry's
book Seward, Alaska: A History of the Gateway City, Vol.
III: 1924-1993, she writes: "The [Seward] Ski Club decided
to develop the Lost Lake route (also known as Mile 12 and
Divide), as it offered possibilities of skiing into the
early summer months."
"During 1939, young
men employed by the CCC program cut a trail from the highway
to a site the Ski Club intended to use for a cabin. Club members cut logs for the
cabin and assembled a ski tow and motor during November
1939. A call was issued in December for more helpers
to build the cabin, so the skiing season at Lost Lake
could open on
New Year's Day with the ski tow in operation."
"Thirty-five people showed up for skiing at the new course at
Mile 12 during the new year weekend. Since the cabin
was still unfinished, they set up a warm tent with benches
and stove at the bottom of the hill. Construction of
the cabin was completed and the ski course smoothed and read
for action by December 1940. The club members donated
all the work. Gentry Schuster presided over the club
during 1940 - 1941."
"About 25 skiers turned
up at the opening there in January 1941, with Oscar Watsjold
in charge of the Outdoor Committee, which prepared the slope
and made arrangements for lunch and firewood. Fifty
skiers took to the Mile 12 slopes two weeks later. The
neophytes practiced controlled skiing (turns and snowplows)
and as a result there were less headlong rushes down the
slope and fewer falls. The members set up facilities
for the public and packed down the new snow on the course.
Three slopes were completed at Mile 12 - for beginners,
intermediates and advanced skiers. Oscar Watsjold
headed the Ski Club during 1941-1942." |
A rope tow from this
ski area is possibly the one that Tom Steward of Juneau bought for 50
dollars after World War II. Tom had the tow shipped to
Juneau where the Juneau Ski Club installed it at their 2nd Meadow
Ski Hill on Douglas Island.
Seth DePasqual interviewed
Oscar Watsjold on 14 December 2005 and Oscar said that the
Divide Ski Area cabin was eventually burned down by vandals.
According to Mary J. Barry's book "Seward, Alaska: A History of
the Gateway City, Vol. III: 1924-1993", the cabin burned in
September of 1959. |
| Sources of
Information: |
Oscar
Watsjold; Linda Yarborough, Lesli
Schick and Seth DePasqual of the Chugach National Forest, Heritage Departmen;
Mary J. Barry, author of "Seward, Alaska: A History of the
Gateway City, Vol. III: 1924-1993"; Richard Houghton |
| Photos: |
Does
anyone have pictures of skiing at the Divide Ski Area (or current pictures of the vicinity) that they
would like to
contribute to ALSAP ?
|
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|
~
PHOTOS ~ |
|
These
two pictures (possibly from 1942) show skiers at the Divide Ski
Area. The picture on the left shows what looks like a rope going
into a tow engine shack that is next to a log cabin. The tow rope
can be seen in front of the two skiers in the picture to the right. (click
on either image to expand them) [Photo
Credits: Robert C. Lewis collection, UAA Consortium Library
Archives] |
|
 |
|
~
DOCUMENTS ~
~
MAPS ~ |
|
This large
scale topo shows where the Divide area is located, 12 miles north of
Seward. (click
on this map to expand it) |
|
|
A
zoomed in 1995 topo map of the Divide area shows the general location of
where the Divide Ski Area once existed.
(click
on this map to expand it) |
 |
| Research
Correspondence |
[Seth
DePasqual - 27 February 2006 email excerpt, notes from an interview with
Oscar Watsjold]
The first big "to do" concerning Seward skiing was the Divide Ski Area.
As far as any stories go related to Divide, he [Oscar] mentioned that
they would "night ski" sometimes after hanging a multitude of gas
lanterns on the trail. Apparently everybody had one in those days so it
wasn't too hard to get a bunch of them together for the trail to be
adequately lit. He said that the Divide and Manitoba resorts never
operated simultaneously. The Manitoba operation was essentially an
upgrade and as efforts shifted from one resort to the other, so too did
related interest.
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Do
you have further information, stories or pictures that you would like to
contribute about this
ski area? |
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