Wessington Springs in Jerauld County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Rube Goldberg Ski Lift Gadget
August 29, 2021
1. Rube Goldberg Ski Lift Gadget Marker
Inscription.
Rube Goldberg Ski Lift Gadget. . A.J. Gebhart designed and built the ski lift assisted by Lloyd Marken. The electric powered apparatus was installed in February of 1956 and kept a 1,200 foot circle of rope rotating to safely pull sled, ski, toboggan, or scoop shovel users back to the top of the old golf course hill. Sam Holman, Mike Mueller, Frank Schryer and A. J. Gebhart of the Chamber's Winter Sports Recreation Committee worked on the ski lift idea and several went to Terry Peak in the Black Hills to get a look at a rope type lift. Warner Motors donated an old car, Don Keeton donated some wheels, and several contractors donated their labor. The city furnished the site and lights for the REA donated poles. It took just four short weeks to take it from a Chamber of Commerce meeting idea to reality.
A.J. Gebhart designed and built the ski lift assisted by Lloyd Marken. The electric powered apparatus was installed in February of 1956 and kept a 1,200 foot circle of rope rotating to safely pull sled, ski, toboggan, or scoop shovel users back to the top of the old golf course hill. Sam Holman, Mike Mueller, Frank Schryer and A. J. Gebhart of the Chamber's Winter Sports Recreation Committee worked on the ski lift idea and several went to Terry Peak in the Black Hills to get a look at a rope type lift. Warner Motors donated an old car, Don Keeton donated some wheels, and several contractors donated their labor. The city furnished the site and lights for the REA donated poles. It took just four short weeks to take it from a Chamber of Commerce meeting idea to reality.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Parks & Recreational Areas • Sports. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1956.
Location. 44° 4.49′ N, 98° 34.47′ W. Marker is in Wessington Springs, South Dakota, in Jerauld County. It is on 228th Street (South Dakota Route 34) 0.3 miles west of Dakota Avenue South. Located in a wayside park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Wessington Springs SD 57382, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in East River and specifically in the James River Valley. It is also in the American Lewis & Clark Corridor, on the prairies, and on the Northern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Ruperts Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 2, 2021. It was originally submitted on January 19, 2018, by Ruth VanSteenwyk of Aberdeen, South Dakota. This page has been viewed 469 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on September 1, 2021. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
