Snowshoe Thompson

Snowshoe Thompson (April 30, 1827 – May 15, 1876) was a nickname for the Norwegian-American John Albert Thompson, an early resident of the Sierra Nevada of Nevada and California. He is considered the father of California skiing. His Norwegian name was Jon Torsteinson Luraas-Rue.

Jon Torsteinson Luraas-Rue was born on the Rue farm in Tinn, Telemark county, Norway (Rue i Luraas-grenda, Tinn, Telemark, Norway). He was the son of Torsten Olsson Gollo and Gro Jonsdatter Einungbrekke. His father died when Thompson was 2 years old. At the age of 10 (1837), Thompson came to America with his mother, settling on a farm in Illinois. In 1839 his brother Tostein and sister Kari came after and joined the family. The family moved on to Missouri, then Iowa, and in 1846 Thompson went to stay with his brother in Wisconsin (History of the Thompson-Rue Family 1759-1984, by Alvera (Thompson) Robinson et.al.)

In 1851, Thompson drove a herd of milk cows to California and settled in Placerville. For a short while he mined in Kelsey Diggins, Coon Hollow and Georgetown. With the small amount he saved, he bought a small ranch at Putah Creek, in the Sacramento Valley. Later, he purchased a ranch in Diamond Valley.

Between 1856 and 1876, he delivered mail between Placerville, California and Genoa, Nevada and later Virginia City, Nevada. Despite his nickname, he did not make use of the snowshoes that are native to North America, but rather would travel with what the local people applied that term to: ten-foot (over 3-meter) skis, and a single sturdy pole generally held in both hands at once. He knew this version of cross-country skiing from his native Norway, and employed it during the winter as one of the earlier pioneers of the skill in the United States. Thompson delivered the first silver ore to be mined from the Comstock Lode. Later he taught others how to make skis, as well as the basics of their use. Despite his twenty years of service, he was never paid for delivering the mail.

Thompson typically made the eastward trip in three days, and the return trip in two days. He usually traveled the route known as "Johnson's Cutoff", a pathway first marked by early explorer (and first man to deliver mail over the Sierra) John Calhoun Johnson, which is today the route of U.S. Highway 50 as it winds its way from Placerville, California to South Lake Tahoe. Thompson carried no blanket and no gun; he claimed he was never lost even in blizzards. A rescue attributed to him was that of a man trapped in his cabin by unusually deep snow. Thompson reached him, realized the damage to the man's legs from frostbite was sufficient to kill him, skied out to get chloroform, skied back in with it, and delivered the chloroform in time to save him.

In 1866, Thompson married Agnes Singleton, who had come to America from England. The Thompson’s only child, Arthur Thomas, was born on February 11, 1867.

From 1868 to 1872 Thompson served on the Board of Supervisors of Alpine County, and was a delegate to the Republican State Convention in Sacramento in 1871. In spite of a resolution sent to Washington, D.C. by the Nevada Legislature, the many political contacts he had gathered, and a trip to Washington, D.C. in 1872, Snowshoe Thompson was never paid for his services delivering the United States Mail.

Snowshoe Thompson died of appendicitis which developed into pneumonia on May 15, 1876. His grave can be seen in Genoa, Nevada, in Carson Valley, east of Lake Tahoe. His son, Arthur, died two years later of diphtheria, and was buried next to his father at the cemetery in Genoa.

Ingenting kunne stoppe Snowshoe Thompson. Ingen snøstorm eller kulde fikk ham til å stoppe.Han var den eneste mannen som regelmessig fraktet posten mellom østsiden av Sierra Nevada og gruve samfunnene i California, fra 1856 og til han døde i 1876.

Inntil han søkte på jobben hadde gruvebyene vært avskåret fra resten av verden i vinterhalvåret. Dette tok hardt på mennene som hadde vært adskilt fra familiene sine i måneder og kanskje år. Presserende beskjeder, viktig forretningskorespondanse og nyheter, kunne ikke nå dem før passene i fjellet tinet sent om våren, og da var det ofte alt for sent.

John Thompson eller Jon Torsteinson Rue, som han ble døpt, ble født i Tinn i Telemark i 1827. Han emigrerte til U.S.A. i 1837, og i 1852 i en alder av 25, befant han seg på gullfeltene i California for å prøve lykken. Dette levesettet passet imidlertid ikke hans temperament. Han forlot ganske snart sin karriere som gullgraver og kjøpte seg en ranch i Sacramento Valley. Men han greide ikke og holde seg fra å stirre opp i fjellene fra småbruket sitt nede på sletten. Magien fra Sierra hadde ham i sitt grep. Han måtte finne en utvei slik at han kunne leve i disse fjellene han higet etter.

I Januar 1856 la Thompson merke til en notis i "Sacramento Union" som lød: " "Folk avskåret fra omverden. Onkel Sam trennger postbærere." Thompson grep øksa og hogg ned en eik. Ikke lenge etter hadde han laget seg et par ski, som hver veide nesten 5 kilo. Dette var noe besværlige ski men han var sterk og vant til tunge fysiske tak. Så satte han i gang med å bevise (både for seg selv og andre) at skiene ville fungere.

Sin første test gjorde han i Placerville, bevitnet av en gruppe forundrede og sterkt tvilende gruvearbeidere. En av dem sa til ham: "Du kommer til å ende opp med å knuse skallen i et tre"

Uberørt gled Thompson gjennom skogen og ned bakkene, og ble på den måten Californias skipioner. Gjøre inntrykk på noen gruvefolk var en ting, overvinne postmesterens skepsis var noe helt annet. Han tegnet seg en rute fra Genoa til Placerville som ville gi ham alle tenkelige utfordringer. Men han var en tøffing og hadde erfaring som fjellfører. Han hadde vært i mange av gruveleirene, han viste veien over fjellpassene og kjente til hytter og huler som kunne brukes som ly. Han var overbevist om at han kunne klare det, så han somlet ikke med å søke på jobben. Hans entusiasme og selvsikkerhet prellet av på den potensielle arbeidsgiveren, som kastet et blikk på Thompson og ristet på hodet. "Selv menn med mulldyrspann greier ikke turen over Sierra midtvinters" Han gjorde en kunstpause for riktig å drive inn sluttpoenget "Vi fant noen av dem frosset ihjel." Men postmesteren hadde et problem. Ingen andre ville ha jobben. Han hadde lite annet valg enn å ansette den flirende Thompson

Den nye postbæreren fikk raskt navnet Snowshoe. Han anntok at han måtte gå mellom 40 og 65 km hver dag for å holde ruta. Dette betydde å gå på ski i all slags vær og føre, natt som dag. P.g.a den store postsekken hadde han bare noen kjeks, litt brød og tørket kjøtt til mat. Vann fikk han ved å ete snø eller drikke av en fjellbekk. Tidstabellen var så stramm at han spiste mens han gikk. Den eneste innrømmelsen han gjorde til vinterkulden var en tykk jakke, tepper og annet tok for mye plass og vekt, han satset heller på at anstrengelsene ville holde ham varm.

Når utmattelsen seg på i natten, gjorde han hastig leir. Med en seng av granbar la han beina mot bålet og hodet på postsekken, slik lå han med stjernehimmelen som pledd og vinden som vuggesang.

Hvordan fant så Snowshoe veien i dette konstant skiftende nedsnødde landskapet? Det er intet mindre enn et mirakel. Landemerkene var ofte nedsnødd, og han hadde verken kart eller kompass. Ikke desto mindre, på slutten av sin lange karriere hevdet Thompson "Jeg gikk meg aldri vill. Jeg kan ikke gå meg vill"

Snowshoe Thompson: "Viking of the Sierra"

When John A. Thompson responded to an ad in the Sacramento Union : "People Lost to the World; Uncle Sam Needs a Mail Carrier", he had no idea he was to become a living legend.

When I cross-country ski under the moonlight through the back country of the Sierra Nevada mountains, I often think of Snowshoe Thompson, one of the most intriguing heroes in California's history. From 1856 to 1876 he made legendary 90 mile treks over snowdrifts up to 50 feet high and through blizzards with up to 80 mile per hour winds, to deliver mail to those living in isolation. He was the sole link between California and the Atlantic states during the long winter months.

At the age of 10, Jon Torsteinson-Rue (later changed to John A. Thompson) came to America with his family from Norway, settling on a farm in Illinois. The family moved on to Missouri then Iowa, and eventually Jon went to stay with his brother in Wisconsin. Then gold fever struck.

In 1851 at the age of 24 Thompson drove a herd of milk cows to California and settled in Placerville. For a short while he mined in Kelsey Diggins, Coon Hollow and Georgetown. With the small amount he saved, he bought a small ranch at Putah Creek, in the Sacramento Valley.

All attempts by postmen to cross the Sierra on woven Canadian and Native American snowshoes had failed until one day in late 1855, Thompson saw an ad in the Sacramento Union : "People Lost to the World; Uncle Sam Needs a Mail Carrier." He had had personal experience with mail deprivation, having once received long delayed news of a flu epidemic which claimed his mother's life, and quickly applied for the job.

As a young child in the Telemark region of Norway, ski shaped snow-shoes (called ski-skates) were as common as ordinary shoes. A crowd formed in Placerville for his first mail run in January, 1856. Few had faith that he would make it over the 7,500 foot passes on his homemade 10 foot long, 25 pound oak skis. But one optimistic voice in the crowd called out: "Good luck, Snowshoe Thompson" and he set out to become a legendary postman and father of California skiing.

Two to four times a month for twenty winters, regardless of weather, Snowshoe Thompson set out at the appointed hour. His mail run took 3 days from Placerville to Mormon Station, Utah (Nevada's first town,later called Genoa when Nevada became a state), and two days on the return trip. The people of the pioneer settlement knew when to expect his arrival. Baking was left in the oven and abandoned meals grew cold. Everyone ran outdoors looking up to the top of Genoa Peak to watch as the tall blond norseman descended, streaks of snow flying in his wake.

Thompson always wore a Mackinaw jacket, a wide rimmed hat, and covered his face in charcoal to prevent snow blindness. He carried no blankets, but he did carry matches to start fires, and his bible. He snacked on dried sausage, jerked beef, crackers, and biscuits. When a storm kept him from proceeding he would find a flat rock, clear it of snow, and dance old Norwegian folk dances until it passed, then he would continue on his way. He rested but briefly, and usually only long enough for a crust to form back over the fresh snow, for easier passage. Dan de Quille of the Virigina City Territorial Enterprise later wrote of Thompson: "He flew down the mountainside. He did not ride astride his pole or drag it to one side as was the practice of other snow-shoers, but held it horizontally before him after the manner of a tightrope walker. His appearance was graceful, swaying his balance pole to one side and the other in the manner that a soaring eagle dips its wings."

Grizzly bears, mountain lions and wolves roamed his path, but he carried no gun, not wanting to limit the weight of mail and much needed supplies. On one trip he came upon a pack of wolves feeding on a deer carcass. When they noticed him, they sat on their haunches and howled. Snowshoe kept his pace, expecting them to attack at any moment, and flew right by them. When he looked back, they had returned to their meal.

Much as his Viking ancestors had traveled upon unmarked waters, Snowshoe Thompson crossed the Sierra Mountains, whose landmarks were buried in the snow. He didn't use a compass, once stating in an interview : "There is no danger of getting lost in a narrow range of mountains like the Sierra, if a man has his wits about him." He could tell his direction by day, from the appearance of trees and rocks, the flow of the streams, animal tracks, and snowdrifts. By night, the formation of stars guided him.

Snowshoe Thompson often rescued prospectors caught in the snow, and would carry them out on the back of his skis as they held their arms around him. One well-known incident took place just before Christmas in 1856, when he found a trapper named James Sisson, who had been sheltering with half-frozen feet in a deserted cabin for 12 days, with no food or fire. Thompson chopped him some wood to stay warm and set out to Genoa for help. He had to carve skis and give lessons to the rescuers who had agreed to accompany him. Once back in Genoa, the doctor reported that Sisson's feet needed to be amputated, but he had no chloroform. Thompson set out once again to Placerville , but there was none to be found, so he continued on to Sacramento. In all he traveled 400 miles in 10 days, and saved Sisson's life.

His mail sack often weighed up to 100 pounds: carrying medicine, emergency supplies, clothing, books, tools, pots and pans. Once he brought in a pack of needles and a glass chimney for a kerosene lamp so a widow, Mrs. Franklin, could continue her winter sewing. For the local fiddler, Richard Cosser, he brought new strings. And for the news starved miners, he carried the type and newsprint for Nevada's first newspaper, the Territorial Enterprise, piece by piece. The first issue went to press December 18, 1858.

In 1859 Thompson was asked to take a strange blue rock, which seemed to be devaluing the Washoe miners' gold dust, to Sacramento to have it assayed - it was rich in silver. The Comstock Lode had now been discovered, signaling an end to the California Gold Rush and the glorious 49er era. A new stampede began, this time from west to east and Thompson was asked to expand his mail route to Virginia City, year round.

As legends of Snowshoe Thompson's feats spread through the isolated regions of the Sierra, others began making skis and racing down the hills. For a short time, during the building of the Central Pacific Railroad, he carried the mail from Cisco to Meadow Lake. During the winter of 1867-68, one of the most severe in history, 3,000 people were met with an unexpected storm and ended up wintering in at Meadow Lake City. Clarence M. Wooster wrote in a letter that Thompson would "sail down his four-mile course at great speed, cross the ice frozen river, throw our mail toward the house, and glide out of sight, up and over a hill, by the momentum gathered in the three mile descent."

Wooster further explained in his letter how he and some kids once gave into their temptation of turning Snowshoe's frozen tracks into a sled run. They shot down the mountain like rockets: "The skis held to the track, but three of the kids went tumbling down a steep mountain." When Thompson heard of the incident he searched out the kids and gave them a spanking they never forgot!

There are a variety of stories of how and when Thompson met his wife, the English woman, Agnes Singleton, who had come to America with her step-mother. My personal favorite is that he gave her ski lessons. They were married in 1866, however there are as many discrepancies as to the location. They settled on the property Thompson had homesteaded a few years earlier in Diamond Valley (Alpine County) - just east and at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, 5 miles to the west of Carson Valley.

Deeply involved in the land and its uses, Thompson raised grains wheat, oats, hay and potatoes. As he explained in letters to his family, the only fruits he could grow were gooseberries and currents, due to the late spring and early fall frosts. He constructed irrigation ditches, from the West Fork of the Carson River to his ranch, that are still in service today. In the winter he cared for 90 head of cattle and 20 horses - half his own, and the rest were boarded for others who lived higher up in the mountains.

The Thompson's only child, Arthur Thomas, was born on February 11, 1867. His father could hardly wait to take him snowshoeing, and made him a tiny pair of snowshoes for his first birthday. In Alpine County, Thompson enjoyed teaching his neighbors how to make snowshoes, giving them lessons and offering chilling demonstrations of his jumps at the top of Silver Mountain. Just as it seemed he was going to run into the onlookers midway down the slope, he would spring up again, flying right over them with a wide smile on his face. In one of his races, he skied 1600 feet in 21 seconds (55 miles per hour), and his greatest jump was known to be 180 feet, in the early 1870's!

From 1868 to 1872 Thompson served on the Board of Supervisors of Alpine County, and was a delegate to the Republican State Convention in Sacramento in 1871. In spite of a resolution sent to Washington, D.C. by the Nevada Legislature, the many political contacts he had gathered, and a trip to Washington, D.C. in 1872, Snowshoe Thompson was never paid for his services delivering the United States Mail.

Snowshoe Thompson died of appendicitis which developed into pneumonia on May 15, 1876. His son, Arthur, died two years later of diphtheria, and was buried next to his father at the cemetery in Genoa. Agnes remarried in 1884, but the following year had a snow-white marble erected on Snowshoe's grave, engraved with a pair of crossed skis and the memento "Gone but not forgotten."

The Genoa postmaster S.A.Kinsey said: "Most remarkable man I ever knew, that Snowshoe Thompson. He must be made of iron. Besides, he never thinks of himself, but he'd give his last breath for anyone else - even a total stranger." The few times Thompson had thought of putting an end to his legendary Snowshoe Express, he continued just for the look on the faces of the people living in isolation. Hundreds of thousands from all parts of the globe emigrated to California in search of gold, but few left such a heartfelt mark on the Golden State's history as John A. "Snowshoe" Thompson.

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Burial record:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27519879/jon-torsteinson