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Peder Falstad, a national skier, formerly of Devils
Lake, fostered the ski sport while living in Hannaford.
In 1924, the ski slide was erected on the top west bank of Bald Hill
Creek. The erection of the slide
was sponsored by the local American Legion at a cost of $600. Peder Falstad and Chuck Cole, both affiliated with
the AFC Garage in Hannaford (AFC stands for Austad, Falstad, Cole), erected the
slide. The steel section of the
slide was the John J. Haugen windmill which was brought into town by sections
and put together again. A platform
was built on top and a slide built on down to make the jump. During the years several tournaments were held each
year. The tournaments drew hundreds
of people to watch. Early skiers
were Peder Falstad and Casper Oimes, a National Skier from Oslo, Norway.
Local participants included Marcus Bakken, Ole Kalvik, Helmer Rasmussen,
Philip Schmidt, Sid and Lloyd Hareland, Otto Olson, Alf, Oswald an Pete Kalvik
and Gordon Olson. Russell and Harr Richardson performed clown skiing. In 1923, Peder Falstad took first place among 3
contestants and also a prize for the longest star ding jump at a Fargo Ski
Tournament. In about 1936-37, in a
local tournament, Ole Kalvik and his three boys took four first places: Ole in
mess, Alf in second class, Oswald in third class, and Pete in fourth class. The 1950 ski tournament was one of the last
tournaments to be held in Hannaford. Some
of the skiers were Art Bakken, John Bakken and Al Kalvik.
In the 1960s, the entire slide was taken down as there was no longer
anyone interested in this sport. The
slide deteriorated and became a hazard for children, who still liked to climb to
the top. Source: Hannaford
Area History North Dakota Centennial 1889 - 1989 Page
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