State & Union: Another look at history of area skiing – Olean Times Herald

January is a busy time for skiing in Ellicottville, so much so that Edna Northup wrote a book describing her experiences in the city and her love for skiing. It is well written and has done fairly well for a self-published book. The book itself provides many stories and photographs of Northups many adventures around the city.

Key Takeaways:

• Despite the springlike weather of the past couple days, January is the height of ski season in Ellicottville.
• Although not recorded in Bowen’s book, Fish Hill in Ellicottville and the nearby Allegany State Park both had rope tows installed that 1935-36 season. They were two of the first ski areas with permanent lifts in the United States.
• Skiers from Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Cleveland traveled by train to Salamanca and Ellicottville, with a large number of special ski trains coming the winters of 1939 and 1940.

“As self-published books go, it remains one of the best-produced volumes on area history that we’ve seen — and it’s worth another look for anyone who enjoys our winter season here in the Southern Tier.”

http://www.oleantimesherald.com/news/state-union-another-look-at-history-of-area-skiing/article_317ecf7a-d953-11e6-b3b4-b3c5f8d16032.html