Murphy Dome AFS Rope Tow

Murphy Dome AFS Rope Tow

1950's to Late 1960's

Name of Ski Area:	Murphy Dome AFS (Air Force Station)
Location:	Fairbanks, on Murphy Dome, 18 miles northwest by road from the center of Fairbanks.
Type of Area:	Ski Hill, Sledding Road
Dates of Operation:	Late 1950's to Late 1960's. After the rope tow stopped working, skiing continued into the 1970's at this Air Force Station.
Who Built It?:	The United States Air Force
Base/ Vertical Drop:	Base: ~Unknown' / Top: ~2990 / Vertical: Unknown
Lifts:	Rope Tow, Motor Pool Shuttle (truck), Snowmobile, Track Master
Facilities:	An Air Force AC&W (Aircraft Control and Warning) Long Range Radar Station, a camp that supported over 100 servicemen.
Miscellaneous:	This base was originally shared with the US Army for their Nike missile defense system. Today this site supports a scaled down, minimally attended Long Range Radar Station. In 1984 the current radar was brought on-line to replace the original large radar station complex, much of which has been razed. Sounds like some wild sledding was done on the road leading up the the Murphy Dome AFS. From the www.radomes.org/museum site Douglas R. Head has this quote: "Our maintenance guys built heavy steel four man sleds that we used to race down our ice packed roadbed on Sunday afternoons in late winter. I always rode in the front and had the challenge of steering at 40 or 50 mph with ice crystals and snow pelting my face. Another high-risk venture but a great adrenaline rush. I loved the thrill." According to John Borg, in the late 1960's they were not able to get the ski lift engine running. So they would ski off the southeast side of the site down to the road. And then a guy from the motor pool would give them a ride back up to "the Domes".
Sources of Information:	The Online Air-Defense Radar Museum - www.radomes.org/museum/; Henry "Hank" Brand; John Borg; Frank Raishart; Bruce Talbot (State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources); Steve Hornung

~ PHOTOS ~

You can see why they call these airmen ... "air" men! Back in 1967 John Borg (left) and Frank Raishart (in uniform no less) take to the air off a jump to the southeast of the Domes. A guy from the motor pool would give them a ride back up.

[Photo credits: Frank Raishart and John Borg]

~ PHOTOS ~ Courtesy of Henry (Hank) Brand, Murphy Dome AFS 1963-1964
Hank Brand took these two pictures of the rope tow shack during his Murphy Dome AFS tour in 63-64. From the looks of it the rope tow had been discontinued at this point. There is no sign of a rope or rope towers. But it looks like folks still skied here in the 60's.
Hank noted on this 1963 aerial photo of the Murphy Dome AFS where the rope tow was located. It was on the north side of the radar station.
Hank also noted on an recent aerial view (about 1996) where the rope tow was located.
Here's a picture of the gentle hill that was once serviced by the rope tow. You can see the top of the rope tow engine shack down the hill. Thanks a lot to Hank for these pictures !!

~ More PHOTOS and DOCUMENTS ~
(All Courtesy of The Online Air-Defense Radar Museum, www.radomes.org/museum/)
(click on any image to expand it)

The document on the right is from the 1962 "Guide to AAC Remote Stations". This was a "promotional brochure" in helping servicemen decide what station to apply for.
At right is the patch of the 744 AC&W Squadron that was based at the Murphy Dome AFS.

On the left is a 1957 aerial view of the Murphy Dome radar and Nike missile defense station. At right is a 1960-61 view.

The 1963 view of the Murphy Dome AFS shows the starkness of this mountain top outpost. At right is the helicopter that would bring "mail and movies".

Steve Hornung, in the center of the picture, is holding a plastic banana. A base tradition was to give the newest arrival the plastic banana to wear at all times he was in uniform. Caught without the banana would mean the new guy would have to buy the other a drink at the NCO club. Steve has a detailed account of the infamous banana in the research correspondence section below.

~ Documents ~

To the right is an excerpt from the 1982 State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources study entitled: "Ski Potential: Fairbanks Area". Murphy Dome was studied for potential as a downhill ski area at that time.

~ MAPS ~

This large scale topo map shows where the Murphy Dome AFS is located relative to Fairbanks.

(click on this map to expand it)

A zoomed in view of the topo map shows where the radar station is situated - on top of Murphy Dome. This map will be updated with the location of the rope tow when this information is obtained.

(click on this map to expand it)

A zoomed in view of the a 1998 aerial view of Murphy Dome shows what is left. As you can see, comparing this view to site photos above, the majority of the old radar site complex was razed.

(click on this view to expand it)

Research Correspondence

[Henry Brand - 29 December 2004 email]

Hi!

I was stationed at Murphy Dome AFS outside Fairbanks from Sep '63 - Sep '64 and there was skiing on the radar site. I may have a photo of the ski tow used there. Tow included the use of old car wheels as pulleys. Was not a skier. Also, was there when president Kennedy was assassinated and the Great Alaskan Earthquake.

Hank

[John Borg - 16 March 2005 email excerpts]

I served the 744th as Rdr Rpmn from May, 1966 to May 1967. I am the Airman (ski jumper) in the picture, taken by Frank Raishart (a better photo taker than jumper*), and you have my permission to use it. We tried to get the rope tow on the North side of The Dome to work, and failing that, used the South-East side of The Dome for our many ski runs. Our pal in Motor Pool would pick us up and drive us to the Domes for another run.

We “maintenance guys” (Ravens) built two very fast sleds that season, crashing the first one – throwing some members of the crew into the trees just off the road at a bend further off the Dome. The “old man” insisted we have the site ambulance present at our future runs, and so I later put the 4-wheel drive ambulance into a 720-degree look-at-the-landscape while trying to chase down the Raven’s.

Hey! We’re coming up on our 40^th anniversary of the `66-67 season of the 744^th Follies - - - when some extremely enterprising individual came up with the idea to fly contestants of the Miss Alaska Pageant to the Dome – and we threw an outlandish party for them at the NCO Club. Good thing the Ruskies didn’t know about that. We were totally unmanned that night!

[Steve Hornung - 03 February 2007]

Hi! My name is Steve Hornung. I wanted to comment on a photo you have on your website ALSAP. You have a photo depicting an individual holding a plastic banana. That person holding the bananna is me. LOL! I also contributed the photo to radomes.org. The photo was taken during start of my first tour there at Murphy Dome, which would had made it around March of 1971. I don't know if you were stationed there or not, but the story you told is close but not completely accurate, or at least during the time that I was there. The plastic banana was not at the time I was there a base tradition, but was instead rather a "B" (Banana) Crew tradition. The newest person assigned to the crew had to wear that banana whenever in uniform, and if caught not doing so, that person would have to buy the person a drink from the club. During the time that I was there the base had something similar going for the newest person on the hill. In their case it was a moose hook, which the newest person would have to wear around the site whenever not in uniform. Once again the price of not doing so was a drink from the club. As for the plastic banana, I have no idea as to how long the tradition might had been. All I know is that the banana was new when it was presented to me. A chain, much like that used for dog tags was attached to the banana, and that was how we wore it. When presented the banana, that person would sign their name on it, eventually showing all those who had the honor of wearing it. LOL! For what ever reason, I was presented the banana at the end of my tour there. By that time there were several other names on it. I traveled to my next assignment, which was the 20th AD in Fort Lee, VA. The vice commander Lt Col Durio followed me to Ft Lee shortly there after. I worked in the Identification Section, and Lt Col Durio was the Senior Director, both assigned to Bravo Crew. Some time after his arrival there, he asked me if I still had the banana, which I said that I did. He told me that he wanted to continue the tradition for one more person there at Ft Lee. Hearing his plans, I agreed to go along with what he had in mind. He then ordered to the Senior Director's dais, the newest person on the crew. In this case it was a female airman from my section named Beverly Hood. He ordered her to wear the banana for one day. Although quite shocked by his orders, she wore the banana. LOL! Afterwards, I got the banana back, and still have it to this day. (smile) I would return to Murphy Dome AFS for another tour several years later, but don't recall seeing either the banana or the moose hook. (frown) Seeing the photo brought about memories I thought that I would share with you.

I also did some skiiing up there while stationed at Murphy Dome. Not only did I ski on the radar site, but also Cleary Summit, Ski Boot Hill, University of Alaska, Fort Wainwright, and Eielson AFB. I suppose of the group, I probably went to Fort Wainwright more than the others. When I arrived at Murphy Dome, the tow lines were gone. The poles, pulleys, and motor houses were still there but the lines were long gone. The primary means we used to bring us back to the top of the hill was normally being pulled behind a snow mobile. Occasionally we would use a truck or a track master. I believe I might have some photos of us skiiing, and if I find them I will pass them along to you. The first time I ever went skiing was at Murphy Dome, and in doing so I continued to ski many years since.

I enjoyed your website. I think you have done a good job with it.

Thanks for the memories,

Steve Hornung

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



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