By Glenn L. Borreson
Glenn Borreson is a retired Lutheran pastor who grew up in Trempealeau County where his uncles were ski jumpers decades before he learned their stories. He and his wife Mary live in Holmen, Wisconsin, where he enjoys woodworking, historical research, and presenting Norwegian-American heritage programs. He is also the author of four books on the Christian life and ministry.
Ski jumping came to the Midwest in the 1880s with the flood of immigrants who poured in from Norway seeking opportunities for a better life. In western Wisconsin these immigrants formed a virtual Norwegian corridor from south of Westby to northwest of Chippewa Falls, with Trempealeau County in the center. Here ski jumping flourished for about 75 years. Open this book to find these stories:
• The seven communities in Trempealeau County that hosted competitive ski jumping;
• The local tournaments that rivaled any in the Midwest for being the earliest on record;
• The record-setters, national champions, and Olympians who competed in the same tournaments as the local skiers;
• The names of the many local competitors who loved this sport and whose stories deserve to be remembered;
• The six brothers who were a key part of “the first family” of Trempealeau County ski jumping;
• The accidents and the war that impacted the future of ski jumping; and
• More than 25 photos and illustrations from this bye-gone era – and much more.
Copies are available from the author at $12 each, plus $3 shipping for one book or $4 shipping for two or more books. E-mail him at
[email protected] or mail him at 1006 Deerfield Street, Holmen, WI 54636. BONUS: ask for a ski jumper index when you order and receive a copy FREE.
