Norden Station

Norden Station (HM1JSF)

Location: Soda Springs, CA 95728 Nevada County
Buy California State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 39° 19.036', W 120° 21.196'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 537 views
Inscription

Hwy 40 Scenic Bypass

History


"new addition... modern design... large new ski hut... semi-rustic design... oiled pine walls ... ideally suited to skiers' requirements... central heating... Norden awaits the opening of the winter sports season." So advertised the Southern Pacific in December, 1939, its Snowball Express.

Sugar Bowl opened in December, 1939 and the Southern Pacific wanted to take advantage of the growing popularity of skiing and winter sports. It put $26,000 into a new station at Norden - inside a snowshed (right).

The train left the Ferry Building every evening and made an overnight trip to Donner Summit for the round trip cost of $4.50 (Pullman berths $1.35 extra). Dinner was 75 cents. When the train arrived in the morning passengers awoke refreshed and ready for a day's skiing at Norden, only fifteen minutes from Sugar Bowl. They were taken "by sleighs of the latest design pulled by tractors operating on a punctual and regular schedule." One Snowball Express car sold and rented ski equipment and toboggans at "city prices." Equipment could also be rented at the Norden Station.

Since there were not enough rooms on Donner Summit for all the people wanting to come, Southern Pacific parked some Pullman cars in Truckee where winter travelers could rent weekend berths. Wouldn't that have been fun?

A Good Story
Peter Picard was a long time ski instructor at Sugar Bowl after WW II. One of his early jobs was to meet the Snowball Express skiers and get them situated. He remembers so many novices coming off the trains excited about skiing, but almost totally unprepared. He sometimes spent the entire day fitting equipment. The Snowball Express did not last too long. The liability of skiers wandering the snowsheds was too much for S.P.
Details
HM NumberHM1JSF
Series This marker is part of the series, and the series.
Tags
Marker Number14
Placed ByDonner Summit Historical Society
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Saturday, March 28th, 2015 at 1:09pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)10S E 728174 N 4355325
Decimal Degrees39.31726667, -120.35326667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 39° 19.036', W 120° 21.196'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds39° 19' 2.16" N, 120° 21' 11.76" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)530
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling East
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 19940 Donner Pass Rd, Soda Springs CA 95728, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Nearby Markersshow on map
Hutchinson Lodge
0.02 miles
Summit Valley
0.16 miles
Cal Lodge
0.16 miles
Tri Lodges
0.17 miles
Clair Tappaan Lodge
0.18 miles
Royal Gorge History
0.22 miles
Summit Valley Sheep Pens
0.23 miles
Dutch Flat Donner Lake Wagon Road
0.41 miles
Mt. Judah
0.77 miles
Sugar Bowl
0.83 miles
Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. What historical period does the marker represent?
  2. What historical place does the marker represent?
  3. What type of marker is it?
  4. What class is the marker?
  5. What style is the marker?
  6. What year was the marker erected?
  7. This marker needs at least one picture.
  8. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  9. Is the marker in the median?