Ski Museum of Maine’s new digital slideshow to be presented at Poland Historical Society January 17th
Below: Sking at Poland Spring - 1947
Ski Museum of Maine
“Down-Mountain and Cross-Country: 140 Years of Skiing in Maine”
Maine’s skiing history goes back farther than any other New England state. A Mainer wrote America’s first book on skiing. A Maine company built the world’s tallest ski jump and the first chairlift in the East. Two Maine manufacturers were leading producers of skis in the mid-20th century. Two dozen Maine skiers have competed or coached at the Olympics. Maine has hosted five ski, snowboard and biathlon competitions at the World Championship and World Cup level.
These are a few facets of a narrated digital slideshow recently produced by the Ski Museum of Maine. The show, titled “Down-Mountain and Cross-Country: 140 Years of Skiing in Maine,” will be presented at The Poland Historical Society, Old Schoolhouse, Maine Street, Poland, Maine at 10:00 AM on Saturday, January 17, 2008.
Approximately 130 photos some more than a century old have been assembled from the Farmington-based museum’s collections and more than 40 other sources, including the Poland Historical Society and the Poland Spring Preservation Park.
Photos to be presented cover the entire span of skiing in Maine, from the founding of Aroostook County’s Swedish Settlement in 1870 to present-day happenings all over the state. Locations that were historically important to the development of skiing include Aroostook County, Auburn, Bethel, Bridgton, Carrabassett Valley, Farmington, Fryeburg, Lovell, Poland and Portland. Competition subjects include ski jumping, cross-country, alpine, freestyle and biathlon.
The story of Poland Spring Resort, which became Maine’s first winter sports destination vacation in the early years of the 20th century, will be a prominent subject. Soon after World War II, a rope tow was installed at Poland Spring. In the 1960s, another ski area with a T-bar was developed on the southeastern flank of Ricker Hill.
The narrator will be Scott Andrews, a Portland-based ski journalist and museum director who assembled the photos and performed much of the research.
“Skiing has been part of the Maine way of life since the late 1800s, offering recreation and competition to both residents and visitors,” says Andrews. “The museum’s objective is to feed the passion of Maine skiers and to illustrate the significance of our sport to our state’s lifestyle and economy.”
“Down-Mountain and Cross-Country: 140 Years of Skiing in Maine” is sponsored by the Maine Community Foundation, the Ski Maine Association and the Sugarloaf Mountain Ski Club.
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