Early Hoofers History
Compiled by Chris Hartman for the University Archives
| January 11, 1920 |
Disappointed that their favorite pastime was virtually unheard of in the Midwest, a group of Norwegian exchange students decided to build a ski jump on the UW-Madison campus. Over winter break, sixteen students built a wooden jump on Muir Knoll; it was positioned so that after landing, skiers were propelled out onto Lake Mendota. The jump officially opened on January 11, 1920, and a crowd of 3,000 spectators appeared to watch the spectacle. This was the birth of the Badger Ski Club.
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| February 14, 1920 |
The first ski meet ever held at an American university took place on the newly constructed jump. In addition to UW-Madison students, there were entrants from Chicago, Eau Claire, Stoughton, Mount Horeb, Chippewa Falls, Milwaukee, and the city of Madison. At least 1,000 people showed up to watch. |
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| 1927 |
In the summer of 1927, UW graduate Porter Butts, chemistry professor Harold "Doc" Bradley, 1925 Class President Jack Bergstresser, and Memorial Union Secretary John Dollard took a month-long canoe trip in Quetico Park in Ontario. During this excursion the friends first talked about the idea of a student outing organization. |
| 1928 |
Porter Butts was named the first director of Memorial Union. Instrumental in the planning and conception of the union as an integrated space for student activities, Butts was a founding member of Hoofers and influential in having the group organized under the auspices of the Union. He served as director until 1968. |
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