Lassen Volcanic National Park is known for many things, whether  be its wondrous hydrothermal features or that a large segment of park is left in its primitive wilderness state.  Lassen Peak and its surrounding territory is known for its tremendous snowfall. After all, it should be noted that Lassen has an average of over 600 inches of snowfall annually and has some of the highest snowfall accumulations in California.

The 1920s witnessed some dramatic changes to the American lifestyle. Two contributing factors were the affordability of the automobile and development of highways to promote travel. By 1930, Lassen Park was a benefactor of those factors. The first and foremost saw the completion of State Highway 36 that skirts the southern entrance of the park. Equally important came the announcement from the State of California that this route would remain open during the winter months. In the past it was closed whenever it snowed.

It was in the same period that skiing was being introduced. Initially, downhill skiing was developed at Mineral and then slowly spread throughout the region. However, development of a ski facility inside Lassen Park was another story—even though its core staff were avid skiers!

It should be duly noted when Lassen Park was created in 1916, inside the boundaries were substantial private holdings. These proved problematic for park officials, especially Supan Sulphur Works. The Supan’s resisted park offers for acquisition and in the meantime continued to make improvements to the tourist trade. In 1947, the Supan’s installed a crude rope tow for skiing. This alarmed park officials, as the continued improvements would escalate the purchase price. In 1949, with no solution on the horizon, the park instituted condemnation proceedings.

In 1956, after the park’s acquisition of the Supan property, a strange turn of events occurred. It should be noted that the Supan property contained the most desired downhill skiing location. The park agreed to issue a permit to the Lassen National Park Company, (the park’s concessionaire), to operate a winter sports facility, complete with a chairlift at Sulphur Works.

The new venue proved extremely popular, wherein after ten years of operation a bona fide ski chalet was built. Not all was rosy, as there were detractors who felt downhill skiing facilities should not be allowed in national parks. The issue was debated in various master plans for Lassen Park, over the years, but each time it was reviewed, it was determined to leave as is.

Tomorrow: Part II

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