Donner Ski Ranch

The first ski lift on Signal Hill, now Donner Ski Ranch, was built by Johnny Ellis in 1937 and included two rope tows powered by Model A automobiles sitting on blocks, with the manila rope going around the rear wheels, as well as one tow on Mt. Judah above Lake Mary. These lifts helped low-cost, widely popular downhill-only skiing spread around California from Donner Summit. After World War II, the land under Donner Ski Ranch was purchased from the railroad and developed into a modern ski area by Stan and Madelyn Walton, including the second T-bar in California. Under Norm Sayler, Donner Ski Ranch later pioneered night skiing and music for skiers, encouraged handicapped skiers, and allowed snowboarders and telemark skiers. On top of Signal Hill stands one of the airway beacons that once guided airplanes over the Sierra before instrument-guided flight, each beacon flashing a different rhythm so pilots could identify their location. Foul weather sometimes obscured the beacons, and at least three plane crashes occurred on Donner Summit; one crashed Tri-motor was taken in pieces to Seattle, rebuilt, flew in Alaska, and eventually ended up at the Boeing Museum.

California · United States