The first permanent rope tow in the Eastern Sierra was built west of this site on the east slope of McGee Mountain in 1938 because of its dependable snow and nearness to a highway. A predecessor of Mammoth Mountain ski area, it replaced the earlier practice of most downhill skiing with a portable rope tow system using a working gasoline engine, rope, and pullies. Dave McCoy, a world class skier, entrepreneur, and visionary, was instrumental in organizing and promoting skiing here. The rope tow's success motivated McCoy to move in 1941 to Mammoth Mountain, and within a few years skiing here declined in popularity and the rope tow was abandoned. Some remnants of that first rope tow can still be seen along the slopes of McGee Mountain today.