Archives West Finding Aid

(Letter from 1955 explaining the photo.)

• Murray, Utah
• March 29, 1955
• Mr. Harold Axtmann
• Corunna, Mich.

Dear Mr. Axtmann:

In 1875, Ole Gunderson, our father, arrived in Park City, Utah. Park City is about 16 miles from Salt Lake City. At that time there was only one mine in Park City, called the "Ontario."

He worked for his brother, Lars, in a sawmill there. In about 1876 Lars Gunderson moved his sawmill away, but our father stayed in Park City, getting out timber for the mine. He moved about two or three miles above Park City where the timber was better. On Sundays he went to the store in Park City for groceries.

When winter came he made skis on which to go to the store and back, as he was used to skiing from Norway, his native country. This information we learned from our mother, as our father died when we were very young.

She said that after that first Sunday when he skied into Park City to the store, an Irishman walked up to their cabin the next day and wanted to know what it was that our father had on his feet. He said that when he saw him, he thought it was the Devil coming down the canyon. He wanted some things just like them, so our father made him a pair of skis. Soon many of the miners and others about the town had him making skis for them also. She said that he was kept busy all winter making skis, as everyone took to the sport.

As near as we know, our father was the first man on skis in Park City District.

Our mother told us how he would plane down the rough native lumber and would make the curve in them by planing the end down thinner. The he would put the ends in hot potato water in a boiler and heat them until they could be bent. He would then put them against the wall with some pressure on the end to get the bend in them. There they would remain until dry, and they would retain that bend. We think he received about $3.00 a pair for the skis.

This is all the information we can give you about those early days, but we well remember our mother telling us these things.

We are enclosing $2.00 for the National Ski Association.

Sincerely yours,

(signed)

"Minnie" Brighamina Jensen (daughter)

Levi Gunderson (son)

James Jensen (son-in-law)