Gatineau Park
History of the Ottawa Ski Club
Chapter 2 - Revival and Reorganization in 1919
After a four-year hiatus, the Ottawa Ski Club began functioning again in 1919 and on a new basis. It was reorganized and incorporated.
The Ottawa Journal of January 18th, 1919, reported a meeting held on the 16th. J.A.D. Holbrook became honorary-president; C.E. Mortureux, president; Frank Bedard president; E. and Alan Snowdon, vice-presidents; and George Audette, secretary-treasurer. Three and Alan Snowdon, vice-presidents; and George Audette, secretary-treasurer. Three committees were set up: a proficiency committee in charge of Mr. H.P. Burpee, a cross-country committee under C.E. Mortureux (a trail map was to be prepared by this committee and arrangements made with the farmers to leave openings in their fences), and a jumping committee under Sigurd Lockeberg.
This meeting was followed by great activity. On Saturday, January 19th, a ski-party set out from Ironsides via the Mine Road and stayed at Murphy’s in Kingsmere overnight. Sunday morning it crossed the mountain to Kirk’s Ferry, taking the Dunlop Hill and Cooper's Hill on the way. It met another party which had arrived at Kirk's Ferry by train and led them back over the hills to Murphy's for a noon meal. At 3:30 p.m. it left for Ottawa via Pink and Fairy Lakes and arrived at the toll-gate at Ironsides at 5:30, having covered in all 30 miles during the week-end.
On January 25th a club race was won by Merritt Putman, with George Audette coming second. The ages of the competitors ranged from 19 to 60 years. In February a temporary jump was erected on the dome-shaped hill at Ironsides. For the first time in nearly four years Ottawa had a real jumping contest. Merritt Putman jumped 46 feet to win; Messrs Beyer and Loa were second, each with 41-foot jumps.
In November, 1919, the final stages in the Club’s revival and reorganization were being worked out. Newspapers co-operated by giving extensive publicity to the annual meeting. The Ottawa Journal of November 19th, 1919, reported:
The general annual meeting of the Ottawa Ski Club must, according to Article XI of the Constitution of the Club, be held on the fourth Thursday of November. The members are accordingly requested to meet at the Conference room of the Journal Building at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 27th, 1919, when reports will be presented and officers elected for the current year. All skiers in the city are welcome.
The Ottawa Ski Club was formed — for the purpose, as stated in the Constitution, of encouraging skiing and all matters relating, thereto, promoting touring on skis, tests and competitions; and promoting good fellowship among ski runners in this and other countries.
This program was brilliantly carried out during the first few years under the Lockeberg, Haycock, Bedard, Olsen and Mortureux, with J.A.D. Holbrook as president and the energetic Joe Morin, now Captain Morin, as secretary-treasurer.
Jumping contests and cross-country races were organized and the Ottawa Ski Club acquired the reputation of being one of the most active ski clubs in the world. Ski championships were held in the mountains of Kingsmere in which athletes entered from many Canadian cities.
The war came, putting a temporary stop to the activities of the Club. Many of the best members entered and many remained on the fields of Flanders including aviator E. Pearney the winner of the first long distance race organized by the Club, and aviator Jack Ryan. In 1919 the Club was revived.
Owing to the fact that the jumping site of the Club at Rockcliffe had been taken over by the Ottawa Improvement Commission and converted into a toboggan slide, the Club devoted itself mainly to cross-country skiing in 1919 and very successful races were held. M. Putman was first in the preliminary race at Ironsides and E.C. Condon won the championship of the City at Kingsmere.
A great deal of time was spent by the officers of the Club in finding new ski routes around the city; some of the most famous of these are the trail from Wrightville to Ironsides; the Kingsmere trail extending from Kingsmere to Ottawa, over Pink Lake and Fairy Lake, perhaps one of the most beautiful ski trails to be found anywhere in the world; the Kirk's Ferry trail on the mountain from Kirk’s Ferry to Kingsmere; the Crilly Trail from Kingsmere to the Mountain road, over Crilly’s hill — a distance of nearly two miles; and the East Templeton trail, covering some 15 of the best hills around the city. All these routes and many more were surveyed and made known to the skiers of the Ottawa Ski Club. One of the most successful features of the Club in 1918-1919 was the week-end trips, in which as many as 20 skiers at a time would go over one or other of these trails.
Fifty members attended this first annual meeting of the reorganized Club. President Mortureux spoke of its progress since the Club was established in 1910, giving due credit to its organizers. At this meeting there were some, including Messrs Morin, Bedard, Dickson, Lockeberg, and Hennesey, who advocated that steps be taken to form a Central Board for the general supervision of skiing interest throughout Canada and that efforts be made to hold a ski-race for the Dominion Championship in Ottawa during the coming season (1919-1920).
Officers elected for the 1919-20 season included: Honorary-President, J.A.D. Holbrook, Honorary First Vice-President, Major F.D. Burpee, Honorary Officers, Warren P. Soper, J. Fred Booth, C. Jackson Booth, Thos. Ahearn, Dr. L. Chabot, M.P., P.D. Ross, Col. J.W. Woods, Sir Henry Egan, E.G. Laverdure, His Worship Harold Fisher, T. Frank Ahearn. President, C.E. Mortureux, vice-presidents, Alan Snowdon, Frank Bedard. Secretary-Treasurer, T.D. lngall and the Board of Directors consisted of Treasurer, Ingall S.R. Lockeberg, Frank Hennesey, George Audette, H.H. Popham, Capt. W.G. Ross, Capt. T.J. Morin, H.T. Burpee and A.E. Dickson.
On Tuesday, December 16th, 1919, the recently-elected Executive, headed by C.E. Mortureux, met in the Rockclifle Tea House to round out the preparations for the season. It selected the chairmen for its working committees as follows:
Proficiency Committee:
Sigurd Lockeberg (“Perhaps the best all round skier in Canada.")
Jumping:
Captain T.J. Morin ("Has lost none of his old time energy and if jumping records are not broken this year on the Club slide at Rockclilfe, one may be sure that it will not be through any fault of his that the old meets of 'before the war’, when thousands of spectators crowded around the slopes of Rockcliffe to see the contestants - will not be revived.")
Cross-country:
Geo. Audette (“The cross-country men who follow him “over the hills and far away’ will have their money's worth.")
Entertainment:
Captain W. G. Ross
Membership:
H.H. Popham
Advertising:
Frank Hennesey
Ladies Committee:
Mrs. F.D. Burpee, Miss Claire Ingersoll, Miss L. Pratt and Miss M. Macoun. ("The four best lady skiers in the city".)
With this array of talent in the various Committees and the Executive and the distinguished list of honorary officers, the Club naturally started the season with enthusiasm and high hopes for a successful year and it was not disappointed. It was, however, to be faced with a new situation — an ambitious rival had come into existence.
The Cliffside Club was formed November 24th, 1919 at an organization meeting held in the Carnegie Library. Though not affiliated with the Cliffside Hockey Club or the Cliffside Toboggan Club, it had decided to use the same name under which these Clubs operated so successfully.
Not to be outdone by the Ottawa Ski Club, the Cliffsides produced a most impressive list of officers, both honorary and working.
Honorary Executive
Honorary President:
His Excellency the Duke of Devonshire
Honorary Vice-Presidents:
Mrs. Franklin Ahearn
Miss Helen Paget
Miss M. McMinn
Mr. Charles Gray
Mr. G.C. Hurdman
Mr. W.E. Gowling
Honorary Advisory Committee:
Lt. Col. J. W. Woods
Thos. Birkett
Alderman A. Ford
W. Y. Denison
Captain W.P. Grant
D. E. Johnson
J. Angus MacKenzie
Controller Frank Plant
Stuart De La Ronde
E.J. Lemaire
J.B. Fraser
A.H. Fitzsimmons
Controller Jos. Kent
J.E. Wilmot
Geo. Esdale
W.J. Neale
Captain Ed. Archibald
Working Executive
President:
W.F. Devlin
Vice-Presidents: Col. Winthrop P. Whelan Noel Steers
Secretary-Treasurer: John Graham
Chairmen of Committees
Jumping: Jess Jetchum
Touring: E.C. Condon
Publicity and Journal: B.E. O'Meara
Social Committee: Mr. A. Anrep
Special Agent: Mr. George Douglas, Montreal.
Fortified with this list of officials, the Cliffside Club was prepared to compete for primacy in the organization of skiing activities in the environs of Ottawa. For a couple of decades there was keen rivalry between the two Club. This was at times amusingly evident in the reports appearing in the newspapers of the day. When in December 1919, the Cliffsides reported that it had decided to limit its membership to 350 (150 ladies and 200 men) there followed shortly thereafter a statement by the Ottawa Ski Club that its membership lists were open to all and that there was room for all on its trails. An optimistic report on membership or of exciting new developments in trails or stopping places by one club would almost invariably be followed by like statements from the other.
The Cliffsides unquestionably made important contributions to the development of skiing in the area in their own right and the existence of a vigorous and ambitious rival doubtless spurred the Ottawa Ski Club to put its best foot forward. However, the Ottawa Ski Club entered the period with decided advantages. It had a considerable start on the Cliffsides, having been organized in 1910, and had already gained much experience in the conduct of skiing activities and the need for adequate facilities. More important, it had on its Executive the region's leading exponents of skiing in both its administrative and performance aspects. It was a striking combination of administrative skill, skiing proficiency, energy and imagination. These were decisive in the relative progress of the two Clubs.