Snow Shoe Thompson and Ski mail
Snowshoe Thompson (April 30, 1827 – May 15, 1876) was a nickname for the Norwegian-American John Albert Thompson, an early resident of theSierra Nevada of Nevada and California
Between 1856 and 1876, he delivered mail between Placerville, California and Genoa, Nevada and later Virginia City, Nevada. Despite his nickname, he did not make use of the snowshoes that are native to North America, but rather would travel with what the local people applied that term to: ten-foot (over 3-meter) skis, and a single sturdy pole generally held in both hands at once. He knew this version of cross-country skiing from his native Norway, and employed it during the winter as one of the earlier pioneers of the skill in the United States. Thompson delivered the first silver ore to be mined from the Comstock Lode. Later he taught others how to make skis, as well as the basics of their use. Despite his twenty years of service, he was never paid for delivering the mail.Thompson typically made the eastward trip in three days, and the return trip in two days. He usually travelled the route known as "Johnson's Cutoff", a pathway first marked by early explorer (and first man to deliver mail over the Sierra) John Calhoun Johnson, which is today the route of U.S. Highway 50 as it winds its way from Placerville, California to South Lake Tahoe. Thompson carried no blanket and no gun; he claimed he was never lost even in blizzards.
- Wikipedia
Snowshoe Thompson (April 30, 1827 – May 15, 1876) was a nickname for the Norwegian-American John Albert Thompson, an early resident of theSierra Nevada of Nevada and California
Between 1856 and 1876, he delivered mail between Placerville, California and Genoa, Nevada and later Virginia City, Nevada. Despite his nickname, he did not make use of the snowshoes that are native to North America, but rather would travel with what the local people applied that term to: ten-foot (over 3-meter) skis, and a single sturdy pole generally held in both hands at once. He knew this version of cross-country skiing from his native Norway, and employed it during the winter as one of the earlier pioneers of the skill in the United States. Thompson delivered the first silver ore to be mined from the Comstock Lode. Later he taught others how to make skis, as well as the basics of their use. Despite his twenty years of service, he was never paid for delivering the mail.Thompson typically made the eastward trip in three days, and the return trip in two days. He usually travelled the route known as "Johnson's Cutoff", a pathway first marked by early explorer (and first man to deliver mail over the Sierra) John Calhoun Johnson, which is today the route of U.S. Highway 50 as it winds its way from Placerville, California to South Lake Tahoe. Thompson carried no blanket and no gun; he claimed he was never lost even in blizzards.
- Wikipedia
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