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Tag Archives: Olympics

Ecker Hill Ski Jump

08 Saturday Oct 2016

Posted by Jacob Barlow in Uncategorized

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Tags

historic, Olympics, park city, Parks, Skiing, summit county, utah

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Ecker Hill Ski Jump

Completed in 1929, Ecker Hill became one of the premier ski jumping hills in the world during the 1930s and ’40s. National meets were held here regularly during that period, and several world records were broken on the hill by Alf Engen.  The national and international fame of Ecker Hill established Utah as a prime ski center in the West and helped launch skiing as one of the state’s principal industries. After hosting the national championships in 1949, Ecker Hill’s prominence declined as larger, more professional jumping facilities were constructed both in this country and in Europe, and as downhill skiing emerged as the major attraction for ski enthusiasts.  Ecker Hill was used decreasingly until the last jumps were made here in the early 1960s.

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(Looking down on Ecker Hill)

In 1929, local ski-jumping enthusiasts Axel Andresen, Marhinius Strand and Peter Ecker conceived the idea of creating a world-class jumping facility at this site, then known as Rasmussen Ranch.

Through the diligent efforts of many supporters and the Rasmussen family, the jump became a reality.  In a dedication ceremony on March 2, 1930, Governor George H. Dern named the hill after Ecker, then President of the Utah Ski Club.

Ecker Hill attracted amateur and professional jumpers from all over the world to compete in events that drew thousands of spectators.  Alf Engen, who came to Utah from Norway in 1929 broke five world records here and became recipient of the “Skier of the Century” award.

Calmar Andresen, one of Utah’s amateur champions, lost his life here during a state tournament on February 22, 1934.  The last official competition at this site was held in the early 1960’s.  This monument serves as a memorial to Calmar Andresen and as a tribute to the  achievements of Alf Engen and the other daring jumpers at Echer Hill.

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Utah’s First Olympic Gold Medalist

30 Friday Sep 2016

Posted by Jacob Barlow in Uncategorized

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Tags

Iron County, Olympics, Parowan, utah

  • 2019-06-22 13.20.05-1

Alma W. Richards
Utah’s First Olympic Gold Medalist

February 20, 1890 – born in Parowan, Utah.

1904 – seeing to be “free,” Richards dropped out of school at age 14.

1908 – returned to school through the influence of a teacher who admonished, “The only way to be truly free is to get an education.”

May, 1909 – singlehandedly took first in the state track meet, which included all of the high schools in Utah.

July, 1912 – won an Olympic Gold Medal in the high jump at Stockholm, Sweden. Just prior to his victorious jump, in full view of King Gustav and 22,000 noisy spectators, the humble farm boy dropped to his knees and silently prayed, “God, give me strength. And if it’s right that I should win, give me strength to do my best and set a good example all the days of my life.”

August 1915 – smashed Jim Thorpe’s Olympic world decathlon record by 1000 points.

1916-1919 – served in the US Army during WWI and was declared the greatest athlete in the US Expeditionary Forces by General John Pershing.

1913-1932 – won 55 Regional and National Track & Field Championships.

1924 – after achieving academic excellence and earning a law degree at USC, he chose to become a teacher so he could make a difference in young people’s lives. Richards taught briefly at Parowan High School and then in Southern California for 30 years.

1947 – named Utah Athlete of the Century.

April 3, 1963 – died in Orange, California. Richard’s last request was to be buried in his beloved Parowan.

Sincere thanks for the many private and public donations received for this monument.

Joe Zaleski – Eagle Scout Project 2001

Joe Zaleski raised the funds and organized the effort to have this monument built in time for the torch run through Parowan when the Olympic torch was on its way to Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Olympics.

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A monument to Alma Richards, Utah’s first Olympic gold medalist.

This is a monument to Alma Richards, the first Utahn to ever win a Gold Medal in the modern Olympic games. Joe Zaleski raised the funds and organized the effort to have this monument built in time for the torch run through Parowan when the Olympic torch was on its way to Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Related:

  • Alma Wilford Richards Grave

Soldier Hollow, Utah

14 Sunday Aug 2016

Posted by Jacob Barlow in Uncategorized

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Tags

Heber, Heber City, Heber Valley, Midway, Olympics, Soldier Hollow, utah, Wasatch County

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Soldier Hollow is a cross-country ski resort located 53 miles southeast of Salt Lake City in Wasatch Mountain State Park, Utah, United States. The resort was created for the 2002 Winter Olympics, and during the games it hosted the biathlon, cross-country skiing and the cross country skiing portion of the Nordic combined events. Since hosting the Olympics, it has been developed as a cross-country skiing, tubing, and snowshoeing resort, while featuring mountain biking and golfing in the summer. On May 1, 2016, the venue operation contract transferred from the Soldier Hollow Legacy Foundation to the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, which owns and operates several Olympic and Paralympic legacy venues elsewhere in the state.(*)

Soldier Hollow is located in the southeastern-most part of Wasatch Mountain State Park, a 21,592 acres  nature preserve created in 1961, which became a state park in 1968. Soldier Hollow’s location within the state park did not carry a name until Olympic organizers coined it Soldier Hollow. This name was chosen because of its proximity to Soldier Springs, which were thought to have been used by U.S. Troops originally sent to Utah to quell a supposed Mormon uprising, in an incident known as the Utah War. Prior to becoming a state park certain locations within the park were used for farming and grazing activities, while much of the remainder was used recreationally by locals. In the last quarter of the 20th century the state park service had been approached by private developers hoping to build luxury hotels, golf courses and other attractions within the park, but none of these plans ever came to fruition.

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