Forest Park Golf Course

Forest Park Golf Course

1950's ? to 1967

Name of Ski Area:	Forest Park Golf Course Rope Tow, Forest Park Golf Course
Location:	Anchorage, in the area south of Westchester Lagoon, east of the railroad tracks and west of Forest Park Drive.
Type of Area:	Ski Hill, Cross Country Ski Trails (on the golf course)
Dates of Operation:	1950's ? to 1967
Who Built It?:	A private golf course development group
Elevation:	~100' to ~200'
Lifts:	1 rope tow
Facilities:	Clubhouse (Leo's Supper Club / Forest Park Lounge). Lighted skiing.
Miscellaneous:	According to Bob Reeves, director of the Atwood Foundation, the location of Bob and Evangeline Atwood's estate was once the site of Leo's Supper Club (a.k.a the Forest Park Lounge). This was a financially struggling "beer joint where folks could play a round of golf" on the Forest Park Golf Course. After Bob and Evangaline's house was destroyed by the 1964 earthquake (their house in the Turnagain subdivision slid into Knik Arm with everything they owned) they were living in a hotel for a couple of years. The bank that financed the Forest Park Golf Course suggested that the Atwoods buy the golf course, build a house on part of it and develop some of it. At first Bob was not in favor of this, claiming: "What would I do with all that land? I'm a newspaper man, not a developer." But Evangeline took a liking to the property, they built their house there in 1968 near the site of Leo's Supper Club and hired a developer to subdivide the southern part of the golf course. During the 50's and up until 1967 the golf course had a small family rope tow. This was a good beginner's hill where many Anchorage skiers, Jim Renkert to name one, got their first taste of skiing. The Anchorage High School (now West Anchorage High School) cross country ski team used to train here. According to Jim Renkert - the first ski race held by the Nordic Ski Club of Anchorage was staged here in the early 1960's. The race started at "Stumpy" Faulkner's house in Smugglers Cove (north of what is now Westchester Lagoon), crossed Chester Creek on the train trestle, did a loop around the Forest Park Golf Course and finished back at Stumpy's. The purchase of the Forest Park Golf Course by the Atwoods was the end of the rope tow and the use of the golf course as a cross country ski trail system. The West High School team began to commute to Russian Jack Springs Park to train. And in 1968 the rope tow made the trip to Russian Jack Springs Park too (see email from John McCleary below). Further residential development of this land is scheduled for 2005. The exact location of the rope tow is still being researched. It seems that much of the topography of the old ski hill changed by earthmoving when the Atwood Estate was built.
Sources of Information:	Jim and Sally Burkholder - History of Nordic Trails in Anchorage; Mike Besh; John McCleary (Municipality of Anchorage, Department of Parks and Recreation); Bob Reeves (Director of the Atwood Foundation); Jim Renkert
Photos:	Does anyone have pictures of skiing at the Forest Park Golf Course that they would like to contribute to ALSAP?

~ AERIAL VIEWS ~

This early 1950s aerial view shows the Forest Park Golf course. The tidal flats of Chester Creek can be seen, Westchester Lagoon had not been made yet.

(click on photo to expand it)

[Photo credit: Anchorage Museum of History and Art]

This 1964 aerial photo was taken shortly after the earthquake. Faint lines to the lower left of the Forest Park Lounge hint that the rope tow may have been located there.

(click on view to expand it)

This 2002 aerial view of Anchorage shows where the Forest Park Golf Course and ski hill was once located.

(click on view to expand it)

A zoomed view shows the estimated location of the where the ski hill and rope tow once existed (the exact location is still be researched).

(click on view to expand it)

~ PHOTOS ~

The location where this shot was taken may have been near the top of the Forest Park Rope Tow and looking straight down it. But earthwork in the late 60's changed the terrain immensely.

[Photo credit: Tim Kelley]

Research

[Mike Besh - November 2004 phone conversation with Tim Kelley]

Mike skied at West High from 1968 to 1970. At that time the rope tow was in operation at the Forest Park Golf Course. The original club house was still in operation and no housing development was occurring on these lands. He remembers that the rope tow was on natural sloping land to the west of the clubhouse. Mike said the ski area was lighted, so it worked out well for skiing after school in the winter when darkness comes early. Mike believed that the club house was torn down when Bob Atwood when Bob Atwood bought the golf course and built his house there. During the years Mike skied at West High, the cross country ski team was not allowed to train on the golf course. The skiers would either ski on school grounds or travel to Russian Jack Park to train.

[Jim and Sally Burkholder - excerpt from their "History of Nordic Ski Trail Development in the Anchorage Area"]

Skiers at West used trails made from the Faulkner's front yard through the Atwood Golf course.

[John McCleary, MOA Dept. of Parks and Recreation - excerpt from 29 November 2004 email]

By a letter from the Recreation Superintendent dated July 18, 1974, it sounded like the rope tow engine was moved from what he called the Forest Park Ski Hill after the 1966-67 season to RJS.

[John Dillman - 12 December 2004 email to Dave Brann]

Hello: Don DeVoe sent me your site. I grew up in Anchorage and worked at Gary King's Ski Shop on-and off from 1962-1974. The Gary King Ski School taught ski classes at Forest Park in the early 1960's. You might try to contact Sepp Weber, he might have some photos, so should Joe Young, Attorney in Anchorage (maybe retired). Gary King lives in Ketchum, ID. I'll ask him if he has any photos the next time I'm at Sun Valley. There should be photos in old yearbooks of Romig Hill, I remember skiing there in the late 1950's.

[Bob Reeves - 19 May 2005]

Tim Kelley, Jim Renkert and Tammy Thiele visited Bob Reeves, Director of the Atwood Foundation, and talked to him about the history of the Forest Park ski area. We also walked around the Atwood Estate to try and determine where the ski tow was once located.

Do you have further information, stories or pictures that you would like to contribute about this ski area?



home	updates	map	photos	alsappers	contact	about