Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
DUBUQUE SKI CLUB
DUBUQUE SKI CLUB. Learning SKIING in the Swiss Alps near the Austrian border, Ernie Keller came to the United States in 1919. He lived in Dubuque a short time before moving to Chicago. He returned to Dubuque in 1929. Keller began the Dubuque Ski Club in 1931. (1) Everyone over the age of 16 was eligible with the promise of keeping the entry fee at a minimum. Instructors included Ernest Keller and Max Buechlar. (2)
Using the city-built ski run on Kaufmann Avenue near Bunker Hill, Keller made the longest jump of 62 feet made by March, 1932. He believed jumps of 80 feet were possible. The club in 1932 had an estimated twenty members. It was believed that more people would have joined had there been a better snowfall during the season. (3)
Keller was a member of the Dubuque Jump Club which included Joe Danner, Ernie Mareske, Bill Koch, Frank Darrow, Jack Powers, and Bernadine Lange. In 1962, sponsored by the City Recreation Department, Keller was giving free ski lessons as he had since 1945 at the Kaufmann ski hill. (4)
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Source:
1. Brueske, Frank. "Ski Safety Rules Simple," Telegraph Herald, January 1, 1962, p. 14
2. "More Members Are Sought by Ski Club," Telegraph-Herald and Times-Journal, November 13, 1931, p. 4
3. New Ski Hill is in the Spotlight," Telegraph-Herald and Times-Journal, March 24, 1932, p. 14
4. Brueske