Archives West Finding Aid

Originally called Mount Harrison Ski Area and located some four miles down Howell Canyon was an old log cabin building built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). This tiny ski run was served by a rope tow and was in operation for one year before being abandoned when WWII broke out. It was reactivitated and was operational for a period of time after the war, until the cabin and rope tow were moved up canyon to its present site at Pomerelle. The old cabin was used as the resorts warming shelter and day lodge for a time.

In the winter of 1959, the present Pomerelle Ski area was born at the top of Howell Canyon on a site leased from the U.S. Forest Service. Dick Beeson, Con DeThomas, Charlie Norby, Dean Anderson, and Harold Fredricks, and other area ski enthusiasts (to name just a few) formed a partnership and got things underway. They put in many hours in both management and labor capacity to begin building the ski area.

Pomerelle is packed with fond memories for much of the Burley/Rupert community business people. Looking back, "old timers" still remember and talk about how they backed a big truck underneath the old log cabin and secured it to the building, hooked a farm tractor to the truck and started up the old Forest Service Road. They knocked the bank down in places and sawed down trees to make it wide enough to allow the building and truck to pass, practically rebuilding the old "one-way" road. They succeeded in getting hte cabin to its present location. Stopping periodically to enjoy a well deserved beverage, Pomerelle wine.

In 1965 a new day lodge was built at the present Pomerelle location and was served by several rope tows and a Poma platter lift located on Milk Run. Also installed around that time was a 1965 Stearns-Rogers double chair lift. The ski slope named "instructor" was primarily cut by the active group of ski school instructors and students.

in 1973, the resrot was purchased by Woody and Sandy Anderson, who related from Park City, Utah. Woody was the general manager at Park City Si Resort as well as the ski school director. Sandy had worked as a full time ski instructor and as assistant marketing director.