FRIDAY, JANUARY 27: SKI LIFTEveryone who enjoys skiing owes a debt of gratitude to a man they probably haven't even heard of ‘Robert Royceof Woodstock, Vermont. This week in 1934, Royce set out to solve the problem of how to get back up the hill for another run down the snow covered slope. Using 900 feet of rope, a tractor wheel fitted to an old Ford car, and some ingenuity, he made the first rope ski tow in the U.S. at Gilbert's Hill. The news of the convenience spread rapidly ‘ and so did the popularity of skiing. Now, nearly 13 million Americans enjoy alpine skiing and snowboarding each winter season.Profile Americais produced by the US Census Bureau: Measuring America’People, Places, and Our Economy.
Sources: Kane's Famous First Facts, 7483
440 International Calendar, Those Were the Days
Statistical Abstract ofthe United States2012, t. 1249
Profile Americais produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet athttp://www.census.gov(look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).
SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau Profile America‘ Friday, January 27th.
Robert Royce: The first rope tow
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