Historic Hemlock chairlift

Sun Valley Resort in Idaho was the first resort in the United States to install a chairlift in 1937. Averill Herriman, the founder of Sun Valley, built the first two chairlifts in the world for his resort. Vic Gottschalk, Everett’s ski instructor at Sun Valley found out in 1946 that Sun Valley was selling their first lift and notified Everett. Kircher then offered $2000 for the lift and the offer was accepted. Vic salvaged every last bit of the original lift and loaded it onto a flatbed railcar headed to Michigan. The single chair lift was installed in 1948 and the grand opening was on January 9, 1949. By 1960 Everett had enlisted Studebaker mechanics from his dealership in Detroit to retrofit a two-person chair for the lift.

💡 Want to hear all about the history of the chairlift and its tie to Boyne Mountain? Click Play Video to watch "The Birth of the Chairlift and It's Tie to the Midwest".

📸 Attached Media:

-"Skiing is Easy" photo of Lois Kircher from the Northern Michigan Review on January 6, 1949

-"Ski Lift Attracts Visitors" photo from the Petoskey News Review from August 8, 1949

-"First Chair Lift Ever Erected in Mid-West Carries Skiers Up Slope" article from the Charlevoix County Herald on January 7, 1949

-Photos from Boyne Mountain Resort Archives

🔗Links in Text:

-"The Birth of the Chairlift and It's Tie to the Midwest" YouTube by Midwest Skiers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxmvxTSNBxs

🏃On your way up on the chairlift you’ll notice a lodging building on your left. This is Edelweiss Lodge, now known as Chalet Edelweiss.

📚 Bibliography: β Δ ♥