Mel and Peggy Fletcher photograph collection

Mel and Peggy Fletcher photograph collection, 1930s

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Fletcher, Mel, 1918-2010
Title: Mel and Peggy Fletcher photograph collection
Dates: 1930s (inclusive)
19301939
Quantity: 1 box
Collection Number: P0943
Summary: The Mel and Peggy Fletcher photograph collection consists of ski images along with family photographs.
Repository: University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860

Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu
Access Restrictions: Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.
Languages: English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

(1918 – 2010)

In the annals of Utah's skiing history, Mel Fletcher merits his own chapter. Its pages would regale readers with tales of "a human ski lift," a lift builder, trail-cutter, ski jumper, ski school director, ski patrol leader, ski club president and tireless servant in his hometown of Park City.

Always with upbeat demeanor, a young Fletcher pumped gas, mounted tire chains and drove skiers to the mountaintops, thus his self-proclaimed "human ski lift" title. He jumped, often on barrel staves, at Park City's Creole Hill, a one-time mine dump as well as at jump meets throughout the region.

In 1946, he became Summit County's first ski school director at Snow Park, also called Frog Valley, and now Deer Valley Resort. In 1965, Mel became ski patrol director at Treasure Mountain Ski Area (now Park City Mountain). From 1979 to 1981, he was patrol director at Parleys Summit (formally Gorgoza Park and now Woodward Park City).

The grandson of a town barber, Mel's passion for Park City ran as deep as its silver mines. He was a volunteer for the fire department, the Park City School Board, the Park City Historical Society, and the American Legion, among others.

Living to age 92, Mel watched the 2002 Olympic Winter Games unfold at his doorstep, and marveled at how far his beloved ski sport had advanced. It was a pleasure well deserved.

Mel was inducted into the Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame in 2018. The above biograpical note is from that event.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Mel and Peggy Fletcher photograph collection consists of ski images along with family photographs.

most of the collection is digital only; the originals returned to the donor.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library's Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Preferred Citation

Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Processing Note

Processed by Ashley Arave in 2006.

Related Materials

Forms part of the Ski and Snow Sports Archives (S.J. Quinney Outdoor Recreation Archives).

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s)		Description
Box	Folder
1	1	Mel Fletcher, digital scans only 1: Mel Fletcher, Bill Baily and Don Young at the Utah Centennial Ski Jumping Championships at Ecker Hill, circa 1947-1948. 2: Mel Fletcher skiing with others, circa 1960s-1970s 3: Mel Fletcher and others doing gelandes off a ridge, circa 1960s 4: Mel Fletcher jumping off Landes Hill at Snow Basin 1949 5: Mel Fletcher standing in front of a car with his skis 6: Mel Fletcher jumping Creole Hill in Park City, Utah 7: Mel Fletcher skiing powder 8: Mel Fletcher ? 9: Mel Flethcer on ice skates, Biddulph Studios, 1949
1	2	Mel and Peggy Fletcher, digital scans only 10: Mel Fletcher as a 13 year old boy with his skis 11: Mel Fletcher "boat picture" Camp Pend Oreille (?), circa 1940 12: Mel Fletcher, 45, and Peggy, 25, when she was pregnant with Rex, 1964 13: Mel Fletcher, 86, and Peggy, 66. Christmas of 2004 14: Mel Fletcher, 89 at Colby's retirement, 2007 15: Mel Fletcher, 2003 16: newspaper article on Mel Fletcher ski jumping
1	3	Mel Fletcher 17-18: Mel Fletcher as a child at his home on Park Avenue 19: Mel Fletcher as a young boy (9-11 years old)) dressed as a cowboy. 20: Fletcher family L to R: Roy (father), Marian (brother), Gladys (sister), Blanch (mother), Bertha (sister), front center: Mel and Juanita (sister). 21: Park City HIgh School Football team outside the old high school, 1936. Mel is standing on the far right in a white shirt. 22: Virg Street, Glen Brierley, Mel Fletcher psoing across the street from the old Park city high school, 1938 23: L to R: Cliff Roach, Don Young, CLiff Street, Bud TAssman, Mel Fletcher, John Novak plating rollerskate basketball. "One of the many invented sports for past time in PArk City. With baskets already in Elks Hall, all that was needed was Parrish rental skates. Softball on ice was also played in the winter." 1938-1939. 24: Mel and Bob Burn, Sr. at Jupiter, 1938-1939 25: Mel and Otto Carpenter at Jupiter, 1938-1939 26:Mel in naval uniform, 1944 27: L to R: Don Young, Mel Fletcher, Bill "Shog" Bailey at Thaynes, 1946-1947. These three were the founders of teh ski club "Snow Park." Mel was president, Bill was vice president, and Don was treasurer 28: Mel in fliht at Ecker Hill, 1947-1948. Mel placed 6th with a 163 foot jump. 29-30: Gordy Despain (35) and Mel (29) standing at the top of Ecker Hill at the 1948 Utah Centennial ski jump meet 31-32: Mel Fletcher ice skating 33: Mel in San Fransisco on his way to fleet air squadron 117 in Oahu, Hawaii, 1950. 34: Mel on the shoulders of an unknown man on the beach in Hawaii, 1950-1952. 35: Mel and Les Roach on barrel stave skis at SNow Park, 1952 36: Mel, after being discharged in San Fransisco, at a bar, 1952 37: Mel glassading at BRighton, 1953 38: Mike Ivers, Ron Williams, Mel Fletcher, Bob Burns, and unknown skier behind Mel. 39: Mel Mel at Brighton ranger station on his day off of instructing, 1958. 40: Mel Fletcher, Bib Buttons, Roger Haran, Woody Anderson, Cathy Brinton, Sandy Wade Anderson at the Three Kings chairlift opening, 1970 41-42: Mel skiing on barrel staves in jeans and a t-shirt at Park City Ski Area's Winter Carnival. Note: Mel had a thyroid condition during this time was was only 127 pounds in this picture. 43: Mel Fletcher by the Snow Park Ski School sign, 1986 44: Mel Fletcher wearing an American Legion hat, 1987 45: Mel Fletcher's 70th birthday-a new gold bag, 1988 46: Mel Fletcher skiing with others at the entrance of Mel's Alley at Park City Mountain, circa 1988 47: Mel Fletcher in fireman uniform, 1990 48: Mel and Peggy Fletcher at the Captain's cocktail party, 1991 49: Mel Fletcher standing outside the Glenwood Cemetary gate in Park City, 1995 50: L to R: Nelson Bennett, John Narcisson, Ray Nye, Gordon Allcot, Vern Frandsen, William Rhodes, Sverre Engen, Bob Grossbeck, Judd Preston. Middle row: Greg Thompson, Earl Miller, Harold Luddinton, Sam Kalm, Bob Beck, Mel Fletcher. Front Row: Clark Parkinson and Sarah Michalak at the 1996 annual Ski Affair. 51: Mel and grandson, Roscoe (age 14 months) in May 2002. 52: Mel and Peggy Fletcher at Mel's 85th birthday. Mel's button reads: "I survived damn near everything." 53: Fletcher family at the 2003 annual Ski Affair. L to R: Peggy, Rex, Jilbette, Mel 54: Mel wearing an American Legion hat at a ceremony for veterans on November 11, 2005 55: Fletcher family photo, 2009. Back row: Linda, Rex, Jillbette. Middle: Teagan, Peggy, Roscoe, Mel. Front: Jackson and Trey. 56: Mel's Intermountain Ski Assocaition Ski Teacher certificate, 1949 57: articles about Snow Park 58: Mel funeral brochure
1	4	Consturction of ski jumps for the 2002 Winter Olympics 1-6: Bear Hallow ski jump, Novemnber 1992
1	5	Engens, 1940s 1: Sverre Engen jumping at Landes Hill, photo by Jack White, 1940s. 2: Alf Engen, Sverre Engen and Don at Ecker Hill, 1946-47.

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