Colorado
Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame

Charles "Minnie" Dole 1899-1976
 
Inducted into the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame 1977
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          Minnie, an amateur New England sportsman and founder of the National Ski Patrol System in 1938, conceived an idea that a trained ski/mountaineer division would be advantageous to America's defense.  The War Department accepted Dole's idea and on November 15, 1941, the 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Mountain Regiment was activated.  A written contract between the American Ski Association and the Army made the National Ski Patrol an official recruiting agency;  and Minnie was given the task to recruit 25,000 men in 60 days for the 87th Infantry.  This began the 10th Mountain Division whose permanent training center was Camp Hale in Colorado.  This action brought military skiing into Colorado. 


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