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Show THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Page 14 Volume III, Issue IX March 1, 2001 Brief History of Powder Mountain Compiled by Shanna Francis Ogden Valley News Staff Before a Powder Mountain Fredrick James Cobabe, born in 1879 in Ogden, Utah, was left an orphan at age 15. He shifted around from place to place living with various families until he went to work for a Mr. Charley Scmaltz tending camp for Charley’s sheepherders. Fred worked with the sheep, raising “bums,” and taking his pay in sheep until he had a herd of his own. Fred tended his own sheep during the early years. He had his winter range in the Utah West Desert. Summer range ran between Star Valley to Grand Targee and the Grand Canyon of the Snake River. When the land that is now Grand Targee National Forest was designated as National Forest, Fred had to leave because the land was to be closed to grazing. Foreseeing the future of Federal lands, he decided it would be wise to own his own rangeland. Fred began to acquire lands that he felt would secure his future. He purchased land patents, and acquired some homesteads near the Scare Canyon area. Together these lands became his summer range, 2500 acres in all. The broad Mouth and Bolt Canyon land was purchased from Liberty Land and Livestock Company, Wolf Creek, and from the Fullers; and the western portion of Powder Mountain, from the Lindsey Land and Livestock Company in the late 1920s. Old timers say that these ranges above Ogden Valley had been severely overgrazed, with hardly a blade of grass found anywhere. The watershed was so poor that Wolf Creek would dry up in the fall of the year. Fred loved the land and protected it. He practiced soil conservation long before the government thought about it. Under his care, the vegetation improved. Today this area is still a very healthy watershed. Mr. Cobabe continued to buy properties whenever a piece became available. Fred owned approximately 8,000 acres in 1948 at which time he sold the livestock company to his son Alvin. The property where Powder Mountain is now located was where Fred would graze the sheep in the summer months. It would take approximately 8 to 9 days to trail the sheep herd from the summer range of Wolf Creek and Scare Canyon to the Utah West Desert winter range. Fred was killed in an auto accident a few months after his son Alvin bought the livestock company. Fred left a heritage of caring for the outdoors and for respecting nature. His actions also taught that hard work, put into something, will come back to you ten fold. Powder Mountain, the Dream of Dr. Alvin F. Cobabe Alvin F. Cobabe, born in 1917 in Slaterville, Utah, always looked for interesting things to do. He first started skiing as a child. He would make a ski jump off his family’s barn roof— City Missouri and received his radio and television license in 1937. About this same time, Alvin decided to become partners with his father. He bought a piece of mountain country for sheep grazing that adjoined his father’s property. Because the ranch needed a reservoir, Alvin bought some heavy earth moving equipment. He delved into earth moving for other people to help pay for the equipment. Later that same year, he married June Heslop. Ranching, raising livestock, and excavating did not satisfy Alvin. He kept saying he would like to be a doctor. In 1956, at the age of 37, he sold the livestock and earth moving companies and enrolled at Weber College to Alvin and June Cobabe at Powder Mountain in 1972. They are standing where Powder Mountain Lodge is now located. over the roof of the pig shed—and on take pre-med classes. Everyone said to who-know-where. However, that he was too old, and that no medical infamous “final run” ended his skiing school would ever accept him at age career for a period of time. Alvin fell 38. When the diplomas were handed and severely fractured his leg. He gave up skiing for many years. His children say they were deprived the privilege of learning how to ski at a young age because he claimed it was “much too dangerous.” In 1963, Alvin relearned how to ski while scouting the mountains for future placement of ski trails. Alvin lived in Slaterville, a farming community west of Ogden. When not in school, he spent his time working the sheep ranching operation with his father. His father turned the operations of the ranch over to Alvin when Alvin was only 16. Instead of fun and games, Alvin spent his youth learning what hard work was. When Alvin graduated from high school, he went to school in Kansas Tu/! Gmpsfodf! Dbuipmjd! Dpnnvojuz MASSES: Saturday: 5:00 p.m. Sunday: 8:00 a.m. 10:15 a.m. WEEKDAY MASS: Tuesday: 6:30 p.m. followed by The Rosary Phone: 745-LORD Huntsville, Utah PASTORAL ADMINISTRATOR: Fr. Charles Cummins 399-9531 RECONCILIATION: 30 minutes before Mass Come celebrate with us God’s good news. Intersection of Highway 39 & Snowbasin Road out at the University of Utah School of Medicine in 1963, there was one for 45 year-old Alvin Cobabe. The oldest M.D. graduate at the time. In the late 1950s Alvin was riding horses up Wolf Creek with friends. One friend, Dr. Byron Naisbitt, commented, “This would make a great ski resort.” These words kept running through Alvin’s mind. This was the start of Alvin’s dream—Powder Mountain. In 1971, Powder Mountain opened with one small lift, Sundown, which connected a lodge with a couple of hills on the mountain above it. Today the still little known resort is owned and operated by Dr. Cobabe’s children and their families. The resort boasts over 2800 acres of packed runs and powder skiing serviced by the lifts; over 700 acres of powder and tree skiing serviced by the Lightning Ridge snow cat or snowmobile tow; over 800 acres of available powder skiing in Wolf Creek Canyon accessed by guided tours; and 1200 acres of back country powder skiing with Powder Country shuttle service back to the lifts. Ten percent of Powder Mountain’s runs are categorized as beginning level, 50% intermediate, and 40% as advanced level runs. The resort has one quad chair lift, one triple, two doubles, two surface lifts, and one platter lift. The average snowfall at Powder Mountain is 500 inches. The summit rises up 8900 feet above sea level. For more information about Powder Mountain Resort, accommodations, and lift rates, call (801) 745-3619, or visit their web site at powdermountain@powdermountain.com. |