Archive for 2015

The Batiste and Antonucci families want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  We had another wonderful year at the museum with the opening of new displays and  multiple parties, gatherings and successful group meetings.  We want to reach out and thank everyone for their generous financial donations and the extra generous donations of rare ski history memorabilia we received.  All of the items will be put on display shortly.  We are looking forward to another great year with even more involvement of the community and more fun!  If you are wondering, the picture above is a rare postcard from Tahoe circa 1905 –  just more fun!… Read more

The museum recently received a set of rare books donated by Peggy Deen in memory of her father Charles Proctor an early California skiing pioneer.  The donation included:   “California Winter Sports and the 1960 VIII WinterGames at Squaw Valley” by J. E. (Jerry) Carpenter; ~  “1960 United StatesOlympic Book”   Edited by Arthur G. Lentz ; ~  “III Olympic Winter GamesLake Placid 1932”   Compiled by George M. Lattimer;  and  “ A History ofSkiing in California”  by J. H. Hildebrand, ~ a 16 page booklet reprinted from the 1939 issue of THE BRITISH SKI YEAR BOOK “Lost Sierra”  by William B. Berry .  ~~~   The 1932 Winter Olympics book and the History of Skiing in California booklet are in excellent condition and extremely rare.   These will be of much use by researchers and enjoyed by museum visitors.   Thanks so much Peggy!

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If you missed it we had a great party at the museum to revealing the new Granlibakken display.  The display combines the old and the new of the longest continuous open ski resort in the Sierras.  The display was created from the wood of the old ski jump at “Olympic Hill” in Granlibakken with the display content created by historian Carol Van Etten under the direction of Granlibakken owner Ron Parson.  The largest crowd the Museum has every hosted enjoyed the “Reveal Party” complete with food, drinks and camaradiere  to make it a fun, special event.  Come by the museum, view the new display and learn the fascinating history of our neighbor Granlibakken.

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The buses were on time and we were there waiting for their arrival.  Twenty museums were free to the public from Roseville to Tahoe and many decided to take the bus ride through the mountains to enjoy the history tour. We could tell that they were all having a great time and all seemed very interested in the museum and the story of Sierra Ski history.  The tour was highlighted as the famed official photographer for the 1960 Winter Olympics, Bill Briner (pictured above in the red vest) showed up and greeted everyone and answered many questions.  Bill’s original photos line the walls of the museum so it was great to have the man and his work available for all.  Olympic medal winner and museum partner, Greg Jones also came by to be part of the event.  It was truly a good time and we are really looking forward to participating again next year!… Read more

This is the 8th year for the event and 20 museums from Roseville to Tahoe are opening their doors free of charge on August 15th & 16th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. All 20 museums are committed to showcasing history in a fun and entertaining way. For many Trail Travelers, this event has become a family tradition.

The museums are grouped in three clusters and are easy to reach from Interstate 80. Seven Valley Museums are located in South Placer. Six Auburn Museums are located within one mile of the Historic Courthouse. Seven Mountain Museums are located in the Sierra Nevada and the north shore of Lake Tahoe. We encourage you to visit several museums during the two day event. This Trail Guide will help you find your way and we invite you back to visit those museums that you missed any time during the year.

FOR MORE INFORMATIO PLEASE VISIT:  http://theheritagetrail.blogspot.com/… Read more

One of the most important influences on the 1960 Winter Olympics came from the chairman of the Pageantry Committee, Walt Disney!  Few people today know how important Walt Disney was to the region first as one of the early investors in Sugar Bowl (for fun look under our “press page” for the Goofy cartoon showing “Sugar Bowl Lodge”) and then as the architect of the 1960 Winter Olympic theme with the splendid opening and closing ceremonies (the first of their kind for the modern era).  You can read about it in detail in a great new article about Walt which you can find on link to in our “press” page on this website. I think you will find it a fascinating read both from an Olympic perspective and also a personal one about Disney.  At the Museum we have a display which includes one of the few known flagpole plaques mentioned as part of the story.  Walt Disney was a fascinating man with many talents, the greatest of which was making people happy!… Read more

We were very fortunate to have a visit from Stephanie Givens’ 6th grade class from the Tahoe Expedition Academy in Kings Beach.  Museum co-founder David Antonucci also dropped by to answer any questions and show everyone around.  The museum exists for this purpose ~ to keep the young people informed and interested in the heritage of this great region as they will someday be the curators. Thanks so much Stephanie we hope you will come by with next year’s 6^th graders!… Read more

Extreme athlete, pioneering ski and sport filmmaker and Lake Tahoe legend Craig Beck brings another wonderful display to the museum – the 10th Mountain Division.  If you scroll down multiple posts to March of 2014 you will see Craig’s first display featuring longboards first used by the miners and kept alive by Craig with his organization the National Longboard Association.  With longboards over 16 feet it is the most striking of the Museum displays.  Craig wasn’t satisfied with just longboards and so he created a display to pay respects to our military and specifically the 10^th Mountain division.  As one of the most decorated army units in World War II and still active today around the world, the story of the 10^th is too great to tell in this simple post.  The names of those great fighting, skier servicemen from our region include Wendall Broomhall, ski jumper Roy Mikkelsen and the great ski instructor Luggi Foeger.  Craig’s display contains numerous posters, original back packs, boots, snowshoes and skis – a must see. Thanks again to Craig and the entire Beck family for all they have given to our region!… Read more

Numerous rare Kodak 3D slides from a family trip of the 1960 Olympic facilities were donated by James and Karen Stephenson.  Not only are they in 3D and include the facilities from the base level and from the high mountians, but many are from inside of the Olympic buildings. These are great as they are of exceptional quality and give us a very rare perspective of that time.  Thanks so much James and Karen!… Read more