Snowmobiles

Snowmobiles
By Taylor

Believe it or not, man invented the airplane before he invented a vehicle to travel across snow. The Wright brothers flew in 1903, while the first vehicle that was built to travel over snow was not invented until 1908!

(Steve Campbell on a 1964 Polaris KE95 prototype during the pioneers reunion. Copyrighted photograph used with permission.)
Campbell, Steven. The History of Snowmobiling. 09 January 2005 <www.northerntimbercruisers.com/history.htm>

Lundberg, Murray. Joseph-Armand Bombardier, The Father of Snowmobiling. Copyrighted photograph used with permission. 03 November 2004 <www.explorenorth.com/snowmobiles.html>

1909

O.C. Johnson built a machine to travel over snow. It was about ten feet long and didn't steer very well. It would sometimes even sink through the snow. Its main use was to move logs around on snow-covered ground.

1924

Earl Eliason built one of the most amazing snowmobiles built in the United States in 1924, in Sayner, Wisconsin. This wooden toboggan was fitted with two skis in front, which were steered with ropes. Mr. Eliason called his invention the “motor toboggan.” This vehicle was powered by a 2-1/2 horsepower Johnson motor. Mr. Eliason manufactured his machine until 1939, when he sold it to F.W.D. Corporation in Canada.

1954

David Johnson made his design of a snowmobile during a weekend adventure with Alan and Edgar Hetteer, the owners of Polaris Industries. When the Hetteer brothers and Mr. Johnson returned from their weekend adventure, the Hetteer brothers weren't really pleased with Mr. Johnson's design. David Johnson got rid of the design just like Alan and Edgar has asked him to. But instead of throwing it away, Mr. Johnson sold it, though there were many problems with the first model. One day Mr. Johnson convinced the brothers to build a second machine so they could travel across snow much more easily than having to walk on snowshoes all day. Polaris Industries built a few machines each year from 1955 through 1957.

(Bombardier's 12-passenger snowmachine used by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 1957)

Lundberg, Murray. Joseph-Armand Bombardier, The Father of Snowmobiling. Copyrighted photograph used with permission. 03 November 2004 <www.explorenorth.com/snowmobiles.html>

1985

Bob Brodeur, a member of the Northern Timber Cruisers Snowmobile Club, held a pioneers' reunion to remember past events and honor the men who participated. At this time it was thought that a museum would be a fitting way to honor snowmobile history. The club members raised money to erect the museum that was completed in 1989.

Snowmobile Safety Tips

Don't drive too fast; you might cause injury.
Don't drink alcohol and drive; you might crash.
Don't drive on ice; you might fall through.
Don't drive while its dark.
Don't drive on highways or roads.
Don't drive down mountains; you might cause an avalanche.

Citations

Online Resources

“History of Snowmobiling.” North Timber Cruisers Snowmobile, Cross Country Ski Club, and Museum Inc. 07 November 2004 <www.northerntimbercruisers.com/history.htm>.

“Joseph-Armand Bombardier, The Father of Snowmobiling.” ExploreNorth. 03 November 2004 <www.explorenorth.com/snowmobiles.html>.

“Safety.” Canadian Council of Snowmobile Organizations. 03 November 2004 <www.ccso-ccom.calsafety.htm>.

“Snowmobiling – World Book Online Reference Center (American English).” World Book Online. 08 November 2004 <www.worldbookonline.com/wb/PrintArticle?id=ar517060&st=Snowmobiles>.

Images

All photographs of snowmobiles on this page are copyrighted and cannot be used without the permission of the owners (owners listed beneath each picture). Email permissions were received for each picture.

Copyrighted clip art image of the snowmobile from "Microsoft Office Online" <http://office.microsoft.com/clipart/default.aspx?lc=en-us&cag=1> (October-March, 2004-2005). Clip art available only to licensed users for non-commercial purposes.