If news around Cooperstown in December 1938 was any indication, it would be a strong possibility that holiday gift giving had an athletic or outdoor activity theme.
As the Otsego Farmer of Dec. 2 reported, “Cooperstown’s winter sports program received its first big boost last week when a heavy snow covered the surrounding countryside for the earliest snow to amount to anything in years. The second boost came Monday night as a result of a meeting sponsored by the Winter Sports committee of the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce at the Village Club when tentative arrangements for a large-scale winter sports program were launched.
“All the members of that committee, headed by Lester J. Clark and A.J. Merrick, and several other outdoor enthusiasts gathered for the meeting which was held for the purpose of laying foundation plans for the program. During the past week several members of the committee had been out around the country-side surveying spots for the location of a ski tow and also a number of ski trails which are to be marked for use this year.
“Also at the meeting it was decided to form a ski club in Cooperstown this year, for the furthering of winter sports here. Sherman Hoyt reported to the committee that he had been in touch with the New York Central railroad with a view to having weekly snow trains run by that railroad either to Fort Plain or Oneonta, passengers to be picked up at these places by bus and brought to Cooperstown.
“Besides skiing there will also be skating for those who enjoy that. The municipal rink will open in the near future at the entrance to Doubleday Field and the Cooper Inn is making plans for the opening of its rink also in the near future. It is expected that winter hikes will also be run this year as they have in the past.”
That proposed ski tow quickly became a reality, as Farmer readers of Dec. 16 learned, “Drake mountain in Pierstown has been selected as the site of the Cooperstown ski tow and run this year according to members of the Sports committee.
“The site of the tow is located in the Town of Otsego about six miles from Cooperstown. The route to the tow will be plainly marked from the traffic light at the corner of Main and Chestnut streets in Cooperstown.” The site was about a mile north of the Pierstown Grange Hall.
The tow was popular, after skiers had to endure a thaw until after Christmas. As the Farmer reported on Jan. 6, 1939, “Cooperstown winter sports fans enjoyed the first favorable weather conditions of the season over the New Year week-end, and several hundred made use of the new ski tow on Drake mountain which was in operation.
“The new tow…was busy both Saturday and Sunday and the location and smoothness with which it has been put into operation were the subject of a great amount of praise from several skiing enthusiasts who have visited similar establishments throughout the country.” The charge for users was $1 for a full day, 50-cents for a half-day. The Pierstown Grange Hall was put into use as a warming center.
The Farmer continued, “Skating at the Community rink at the entrance to Doubleday Field and the Cooper Inn rink was also enjoyed by large numbers over the holiday weekend.”
The Winter Sports Association had done their job well to make Cooperstown a destination, in working with the aforementioned New York Central Railroad, as the Farmer also reported, “The railroad has put Cooperstown in a very conspicuous spot on its bulletin board in the Grand Central terminal in New York City, an advertisement worth hundreds of dollars but which is costing the village nothing. It is hoped that in the near future these out-of-town enthusiasts can be brought here.”
As a note of interest, while skaters came to the municipal rink near Doubleday Field, they observed a lot of other activity, not related to winter sports, but significant nevertheless. Back on Dec. 9, the Farmer reported how work had begun on the Works Progress Administration project of Doubleday Field. This included the grading, sodding and fencing of the property and erection of a new steel grandstand, at a cost of just over $40,000. By Dec. 28 the report continued tat the work was about half completed by 28 WPA laborers on this new “dream diamond.”
On Wednesday, the Christmas theme continues locally, in 1983.
Oneonta City Historian Mark Simonson’s column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area before 1950. His Wednesday columns address local history 1950 and later. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or email him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is oneontanyhistorian.com. His columns can be found at www.thedailystar.com/opinion/columns/.