Pioneer Ski Area of America, Johnsville

The miners called them snowshoes, raced them on long wooden boards down the slopes above Johnsville, and won or lost on the dope. Each maker brewed his wax in secret, from pine pitch, spermaceti, oil of tar and, once, melted Edison records, and the racers' slogan was Dope is King. Organized races began at Onion Valley in 1861, racers sometimes rode the ore buckets to the top, and the old circuit ran until 1917. The Plumas Ski Club brought it back here in the early 1990s, top hats and all, three races a winter.

What the plaque says

Pioneer Ski Area of America The first sport ski area in the western hemisphere was in the Sierra Nevada. By 1860, races were held in the Plumas-Sierra region. The mining towns of Whiskey Diggings, Poker Flat, Port Wine, Onion Valley, La Porte, Jamison City, and Johnsville organized the earliest ski clubs and annual competitions. California Registered Historical Landmark No. 723 Plaque placed by the California State Park Commission in cooperation with the California Historical Society, Plumas County Historical Society, and the Plumas Ski Club, February 12, 1961.

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Jamison City, Eureka Mills, Johnstown, and the Famous Eureka Mine — steps away
• Sierra County Sheriff's Gallows — 15 mi
• Rabbit Creek Hotel Monument — 16 mi
• Pioneer Schoolhouse — 17 mi