Ogden Dunes Ski Jump
state historical marker application

Most newspapers were enthusiastic in building up the Ogden Dunes ski jump, and the South Shore interurban line itself, which carried many of the five tournaments' attendees, promoted it heavily. Ogden Dunes' ski jump was to be 240' high,³ the steel tower itself being 192' high,⁴ with a 595' shot between the top of the slide and the level ground. The artificial portion was either 300⁵ or 345⁶ feet long, with 350' getting one vote, too. The building contractors failed to complete the structure in time for the January, 1928, meet however. The tournament took place with a slide of only 150'.⁷ Many of the 12,000 spectators were plenty disappointed by the shortened jumps.

The ski slide was completed after the first meet. The Chicago Herald & Examiner, 21 January, 1929, claimed ten feet of the slide was "cut away" right before the tournament, as the surface was too fast. That seems unlikely. Two years later the take-off was shortened twelve feet to avoid accidents.⁸

The hill slope was steepened to allow for longer flights.⁹ The Gary-Post Tribune of 23 January, 1932, stated, "The take-off of the slide . . . has been built in movable sections, so that it can be raised or lowered, shortened or lengthened in a moment's time." No wonder there was (and is) so much confusion about the heights and lengths.

How unique was the Ogden Dunes ski jump? (At least) 27 contemporary newspaper articles, in 13 different newspapers, claimed it was the biggest or largest steel or artificial ski slide or slope or hill in the world, four of those appearing before it was finished. "Artificial" seems to simply be used as a synonym for "steel." A marker claim might as well be confined to "steel." While "slide," "hill," or "slope" each has a different meaning, newspapers used the terms interchangeably.

Return to top of page.       Return to Ogden Dunes Ski Club main page.       Return to Historical Society of Ogden Dunes home page.

What was referred to 65 years ago as the Ogden Dunes ski slide is now known (in retrospect) as the Ogden Dunes ski jump. Some references make the steel structure itself the highest or tallest in the world, while others assign that honor to the slide and hill combination. A marker might be worded so as to side-step that matter, which is what most of the newspapers did. Six newspaper articles limit the jump's status to the U. S. but all of those appeared the first year.

The only non-local source found in the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame and Museum in Ishpeming, Michigan, referring to the Ogden Dunes ski jump's significance was the 1930-31 National Ski Association Year Book. It states, "The new steel ski slide erected by the Ogden Dunes Ski Club is the tallest . . . all steel structure in America today . . ." Unfortunately, that report originated from the Ogden Dunes club itself. Can it be assumed or not that the National Ski Association would not have printed that if it had not been true?

Although there was "ample space for 60,000" spectators on the sand dunes and field surrounding the ski jump,¹⁰ and crowds of 35,000 "were not uncommon" at Grand Beach,¹¹ the turn-out for Ogden Dunes meets never reached that level. The mass of humanity and cars crammed into that space was rather remarkable however. The second (1929) tournament drew between 10,000 and 20,000 viewers.¹² Even the poorest turn-out, 1930's (due to rain,) was still 7000.¹³ Perhaps this all deserves an historical marker to commemorate a record amount of conflicting information.

Ski celebrities participated in Ogden Dunes' tournaments. Henry Hall, the American ski jump distance record holder, entered our first meet.¹⁴ U. S. national champion Casper Oimen was here three years. The German national champ was an attraction in 1931.¹⁵ The Norwegian Olympics team, including Sigmund Ruud, the world's record holder, entered our 1932 contest. His brother, Birger Ruud, set the world's record here for jumping at an artificial slide.¹⁶ Two hall of famers were even members of the Ogden Dunes Ski Club--Reidar Anderson and 1924 Olympics bronze medal winner, Anders Haugen.¹⁷

Return to top of page.       Return to Ogden Dunes Ski Club main page.       Return to Historical Society of Ogden Dunes home page.

²Articles of Incorporation, Ogden Dunes Ski Club, Porter County Recorder's office.

³Powell A. Moore, The Calumet Region (Indianapolis, 1959,) 607; South Shore Lines, January, 1928, December, 1928, January, 1929, & January, 1930. Chicago Herald & Examiner, 24 January, 1932, has it as 310' but splits that into 168'+157' which does not add up.

⁴"First Annual Ski Tournament" program, Ogden Dunes Ski Club, 1928; eight articles from Chicago Herald & Examiner, 22 January, 1928, to that and six other newspapers, 24 January, 1931. Four articles 18 & 19 January, 1929, claim a 291' tower in error. Hammond Times, 11 January, 1930, has it as 194'.

⁵"First Annual Ski Tournament," op. cit.; Chicago Herald & Examiner, Chicago Post, Chicago Tribune, Michigan City Dispatch, and Michigan City News, all 24 January, 1931.

⁶fourteen newspaper articles from 21 January, 1928, to 24 January, 1931.

⁷Chicago Post, 10, Chicago Tribune, 23, Hammond Times, & Michigan City News, all 23 January, 1928.

⁸Chicago Tribune and Gary Post, both 26 January, 1931. The same day's Chicago Herald & Examiner set the figure at ten feet.

Return to top of page.       Return to Ogden Dunes Ski Club main page.       Return to Historical Society of Ogden Dunes home page.

⁹Gary Evening Post, 11 January, 1930; Hammond Times, 11 January, 1930.

¹⁰South Shore Lines, January, 1928, 2. Those formerly bare ridges are now covered by homes and trees. A South Shore R.R. ad in the Michigan City News, 11 January, 1930, claimed there were "facilities for 60,000 spectators." Yeah, right.

¹¹Gary Evening Post, 21 January, 1928.

¹²Gary Evening Post, 21 January, 1929, & Chesterton Tribune, 24 January, 1929. The 21st's Chicago Daily Journal & LaPorte Herald-Argus reported 15,000. The Chicago Herald and Examiner & Chicago Daily News saw it as 18,000. February's South Shore Lines had "more than 18,000." Not everyone paid admission, hence the difficulty in counting.

¹³"Ogden Dunes Ski Club," op. cit., 63. The 13th's Chicago Evening Post claimed more than 8000. Only 6000 paid.

¹⁴Chicago Herald & Examiner, 21 January, 1928, 13; Chicago Daily Journal, 21 January, 1928, 11; Michigan City News, 23 January, 1928.

¹⁵Chicago Herald & Examiner, 17; Chicago Daily News, 22; Chicago Daily Times, 28; Hammond Times; and LaPorte Herald-Argus, 9, all 26 January, 1931.

¹⁶"Norwegians Win in Indiana Meet," Winter Sports, February, 1932, 22.

¹⁷He was not presented it at the first Winter Olympics in France. A calculation error was not discovered until 1974, whereupon he was awarded it in Norway.

Return to top of page.       Return to Ogden Dunes Ski Club main page.       Return to Historical Society of Ogden Dunes home page.

Bibliography

Return to top of page.       Return to Ogden Dunes Ski Club main page.       Return to Historical Society of Ogden Dunes home page.

Chesterton Tribune, 2nd January, 1930
Chicago Evening American, 10th January, 1930
Chicago Herald & Examiner, 10th January, 1930
Chicago Daily News, 10th January, 1930
Chicago Daily Times, 10th January, 1930
Chicago Evening American, 11th January, 1930
Chicago Herald & Examiner, 11th January, 1930
Chicago Daily News, 11th January, 1930
Chicago Evening Post, 11th January, 1930
Chicago Daily Times, 11th January, 1930
Gary Post-Tribune, 11th January, 1930
Hammond Times, 11th January, 1930
Michigan City Dispatch, 11th January, 1930
Michigan City News, 11th January, 1930
Chicago Herald & Examiner, 13th January, 1930
Chicago Daily News, 13th January, 1930
Chicago Evening Post, 13th January, 1930
Gary Post-Tribune, 13th January, 1930
Michigan City Dispatch, 13th January, 1930
Michigan City News, 13th January, 1930
Valparaiso Vidette-Messenger, 13th January, 1930
Chicago Daily Times, 22nd January, 1931
Chicago Evening American, 23rd January, 1931
Chicago Herald & Examiner, 23rd January, 1931
Chicago Daily News, 23rd January, 1931
Chicago Evening Post, 23rd January, 1931
LaPorte Herald-Argus, 23rd January, 1931
Chicago Evening American, 24th January, 1931
Chicago Herald & Examiner, 24th January, 1931
Chicago Daily News, 24th January, 1931
Chicago Evening Post, 24th January, 1931
Chicago Daily Times, 24th January, 1931
Chicago Tribune, 24th January, 1931
Gary Post-Tribune, 24th January, 1931
Hammond Times, 24th January, 1931
Michigan City Dispatch, 24th January, 1931
Michigan City News, 24th January, 1931
Chicago Herald & Examiner, 25th January, 1931
Chicago Tribune, 25th January, 1931
Chicago Evening American, 26th January, 1931
Chicago Herald & Examiner, 26th January, 1931
Chicago Evening Post, 26th January, 1931
Chicago Tribune, 26th January, 1931
Gary Post-Tribune, 26th January, 1931
Hammond Times, 26th January, 1931
LaPorte Herald-Argus, 26th January, 1931
Michigan City Dispatch, 26th January, 1931
Michigan City News, 26th January, 1931
Chicago Evening American, 22nd January, 1932
Chicago Daily News, 22nd January, 1932
Michigan City News, 22nd January, 1932
Chicago Evening American, 23rd January, 1932
Chicago Herald & Examiner, 23rd January, 1932
Chicago Daily News, 23rd January, 1932
Chicago Evening Post, 23rd January, 1932
Chicago Daily Times, 23rd January, 1932
Chicago Tribune, 23rd January, 1932
Gary Post-Tribune, 23rd January, 1932
Michigan City Dispatch, 23rd January, 1932
Chicago Herald & Examiner, 24th January, 1932
Chicago Tribune, 24th January, 1932
Chicago Evening American, 25th January, 1932
Chicago Herald & Examiner, 25th January, 1932
Chicago Daily News, 25th January, 1932
Chicago Evening Post, 25th January, 1932
Chicago Daily Times, 25th January, 1932
Chicago Tribune, 25th January, 1932
Gary Post-Tribune, 25th January, 1932
Michigan City Dispatch, 25th January, 1932
Michigan City News, 25th January, 1932
Valparaiso Vidette-Messenger, 25th January, 1932
Chicago Daily News, 26th January, 1932
Chicago Daily Times, 26th January, 1932
Chesterton Tribune, 28th January, 1932
Gary Post-Tribune, 31st January, 1927
Chicago Tribune, 16th January, 1928
Chicago Daily News, 19th January, 1929
Chicago Tribune, 20th January, 1930
Hammond Times, 23rd January, 1932

e-mail	H.S.O.D.	MEMBER of the POD

Return to Ogden Dunes Ski Club home page.       Return to top of page.

Slightly altered and reposted 19th February, 2003; slightly altered 4th August, 1999; previously updated 14th December, 1998.