Sixty years ago, Squaw Valley Resort was a brand new ski location with one charlift and a tiny lodge - not exactly the kind of town that comes to mind when discussing locations for the Winter Olympic games. But that all changed when resort owner Alexander Cushing campaigned to bring the largest collection of athletes to the sleepy Lake Tahoe-area ski town for the 1960 Winter games.
And, while it seemed like an unlikely outcome, Squaw Valley beat out three European cities and was awarded the honor of hosting the Olympic games.City planners and officials quickly got to work transforming the resort from a sleepy little ski area to a full-fledged ski resort with room for hundreds of thousands. That one tiny lodge turned into several hotels, ski lifts and an ice arena were added and restaurants and shops popped up all over. A new highway was built, conecting Squaw Valley to Reno, and in less than five years time, the town was ready for the Olympics.
Today, many of the structures that were built for the games no longer exist, but the life the Olympics breathed into the town of Squaw Valley is still visible today and Lake Tahoe now has the largest concentration of ski resorts in North America, Squaw Valley one of the more popular among them. The Associated Press interviewed David Antonucci, author of "Snowball's Chance: The Story of the 1960 Olympic Winter Games, Squaw Valley and Lake Tahoe" who had this to say:
"The Olympics delivered a second economy to the area. The area had a fairly strong summer economy but by hosting the Olympics, it elevated the Tahoe area to a winter sports destination."
To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Squaw Valley Olympic games, the resort will host 20 events from Jan. 8-17, including a reception for 1960 Olympians, a torch relay and more. Proceeds for the events that are not free go to benefit the new Lake Tahoe Olympic Heritage Museum. Discover the history and beauty of the area yourself with a visit to the area. And while you're there, partake in the 450 inches of annual snow on any one of the beginner or intermediate trails as well as any of the other Squaw Valley resort activities for non-skiers.
