It started when a group of people who liked to ski would appoint a volunteer, called “The Captain,†to locate a good place to ski each Sunday. They would all gather at this chosen spot and ski all day, picnic and have a great time. In order to ski down you had to climb up. If a packed slope was wanted, everyone spent time packing it with their skis.A big step forward was made in 1939 when a permanent location was selected and a rope tow constructed. The spot was on Stanley Hill, about two miles south of Joseph and a little south of where the Buhler Ranch is now. The tow was a continuous rope motivated by a Model A Ford engine. In 1948 the tow was moved to a slope at the end of what is now Ski Run Road.In 1950, the Model A engine was replaced with a Plymouth motor and rope drive assembly purchased from Anthony Lake. The tow was relocated to a better part of the slope, to the south. The ski club was also incorporated, with members: Clyde Fisk, Jack Cathcart, Max Hayes, Warren Boner, Jack Dixon, Stan Farris and Lester Ruud.(Note: A “Captain's Diary†kept during this time is now in the Wallowa County Museum.)
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