A look back to 1959, as Mt. La Crosse celebrates 65 years

In December of 1959, the Mt. La Crosse ski hill opened for business, near Highway 35 in the town of Shelby.

Ted Motschman and his wife Sue were able to lease 200 acres of hillside land for the ski slope, but more atop the hill was needed for the project.

Five donors helped Ted Motschman purchase the remaining property for $6,000.

More money was donated by the La Crosse Chamber of Commerce and another business group.

The Motschmans operated Mt. La Crosse for more than 40 years, until new owners purchased the resort.

Mt. La Crosse’s original chalet was an A-frame building with a bar located in the upper loft.

The bar was called the St. Bernard Room, in honor of the Motschman’s pet dog named Cobbie.

Some decorations at the chalet were donated to the ski resort when other buildings in La Crosse were remodeled, including the courthouse and the post office.

Around the time Mt. La Crosse opened in 1959, the Heileman brewery offices in La Crosse were badly damaged by a fire. And the Wisconsin Badgers were getting ready to play the Rose Bowl game in Pasadena on the first day of 1960, against Washington.

Mt. La Crosse executive director Darcie Breidel joined WIZM’s La Crosse Talk this week. Here’s that interview: