•October 9, 1963, Page 21:   The building of a ski area is considered for A.W. Stanley Park in the vicinity of the old Stanley mansion. Commissioner Richard D. Harris authorized to get an estimate of the cost, and a special meeting may be called when the estimate is available.

•December 28, 1963, Page 1:   Stanley Quarter Park is being readied for a Ski Slope. The city would like to have it in operation before the end of the winter, says Park Commissioner Richard D. Harris. Mayor Thomas J Meskill Jr. and members of the New Britain Ski Club are working hard toward its completion. The location will be south of Blake Road and east of McClintock Street. As work continues, Harris envisions a slope of 900 to 1,000 feet in length, with an 11% grade. A rope tow will be installed powered by electric motors which the Park Department uses for pumping operations in the summer. Already, a path has been cleared for the rope tow. Next Monday, Park Department employees will begin clearing the hundreds of trees for the ski area. Lumber will be saved for fires at the city skating areas, says Harris. The area should be cleared of stumps within a month. “Then, if we get a good heavy snow, New Britain will have its ski slope” said Harris. Eventually, Harris said, instructions may be offered at the site, the same as the programs conducted in Newington and Bristol. (Note: the information I have at this time is that the completed slope was 850 feet in length.)

•January 3, 1964, Page 1:   A photo was provided on the front page of the New Britain Herald showing the area being cleared of trees, however it was very grainy and difficult to distinguish any detail. No reference points can be seen, therefore, I did not include it in this report. No additional text was provided with the photo.

Looking up the only slope. The remains of the old rope tow are located just 300 yards off Blake Road in the Northwestern corner of Stanley Quarter Park - New Britain, CT. This was a one tow, one slope setup similar to many of the other lost ski tows in the State of Connecticut. The hill has a vertical rise of around 100 feet and the slope length is approximately 500 feet. 

•January 10, 1964, Page 7:   There is a planned special meeting of the Common Council’s Ordinances and Salaries Committee Wednesday night, per Chairman James J. Mulligan. If approved, the Ordinance will authorize the Park Board to establish rules and regulations for all city parks, but would be particularly aimed at the activities in and around the proposed Ski Area for Stanley Quarter Park.

•February 20, 1964, Page 37:   The Ski Slope opened officially last Monday (2/17/64). “Blue skies, packed powder and comfortable temperatures” are reported. The happiest man is Commissioner Richard Harris, whose plan only took three months to complete. “His enthusiasm for the boards (skis) is surpassed only by his enthusiasm for future expansion of the area – new trails, instruction for children, housewives, and businessmen”. “Snowmaking equipment next?” Rudy Brandt will be in charge of the Ski Patrol and first aid. The tow will operate daily from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., snow conditions permitting.

•December 24, 1964, Page 16:   The purchase of inexpensive snow making machines is being considered by the Park Board for the Ski Slope, to allow for the Slope’s continuous operation during the winter, per Director Kenneth E. Schlosser. Koss Electrical Co. of New Britain is completing installation of electrical power for the tow lift and lights.

•December 20, 1965, Page 4:   Director of Parks Kenneth Schlosser said a new ski rope was cut by vandals during the weekend. Such vandalism “…continues to plague park officials.” Park vandalism is costing $10,000.00 to $15,000.00 annually. “The department does not have this kind of money to make the necessary repairs”, He said.

•November 29, 1966, Page 5:   Board of Finance yesterday gave the Park and Recreation Commission permission to draw $6,000.00 from its park improvement fund to build a parking lot near the Stanley Quarter Park Ski Area. “Now the Commission, which had not asked to build the lot in the first place, is searching for sufficient funds in its improvement budget.” The Board action is the result of Common Counsel Resolution favoring the project with strong backing from Mayor Paul J. Manafort. “Final approval to any building plan must be given by the Commission which is expected to look closely at the project because it apparently could only be accomplished by taking funds earmarked for other park improvements.” 

(Note: When I began to visit this area of the park in 1970±, there was already a parking area in place at the top of the slope. It is not clear whether the above article is referring to this parking area, or if a different, additional area was planned. If the latter was the case, it is not clear to me where this parking area could be placed, since the neighborhood has lots of housing in the vicinity. The only other option I could think of would to be the clearing of more trees to expand the current parking area.)

Looking up tow line

•March 11, 1964, Page 3:   A very short article reports that “Ski Slope receipts will be used for maintenance and improvements of the facility” per Common Council resolution.•January 30, 1973, Page 1:   The city’s Ski Slope opens today, and will continue as long as conditions permit, from 1:00 to 9:000 p.m. daily, according to Brian M. Desmond, Park and Recreations Commission Chairman. The Ski Area opening was delayed because of vandals cutting the ropes on the ski tow. Also, Desmond warns that strong measures will be taken against snowmobilers who attempt to use the Stanley Quarter Golf Course, or any other park area. Considerable damage was done in the past at the course, and now a park patrolman will be asked to make periodic checks. 

•January 25, 1974, Page 8:   The Ski Area was not opened this season, “and unless the city gets a good storm, it won’t open this year”, according to Parks and Recreations Director Paul A. Ryiz. “Immediately after the first heavy snow storm of the year, the city had rain and freezing rain”, he said, “which left an icy crust, dangerous for skiers. We have no snow making equipment and no crushers. We debated after the big snow whether to open, and we night have been a little slow because of our concern on the energy crisis. But the ice made us decide against opening. It was just too dangerous. At the bottom of the slope there is a little area where water always gathers, and then it becomes ice. There isn’t enough room to stop, and it just becomes too dangerous.”  In past years, he noted, the department has been criticized for not opening because vandals cut the tow rope. Some have said the ropes should be taken down at night. “It takes 3 to 4 hours to put the rope back up”, Ryiz said, “making it impractical to do daily…and expensive in terms of man hours. A cable could not be used”, he said, “because it might twist and cause hand injuries.”

•January 29, 1974, Page 3:   “Ski Two rope cut once again” (headline title for the article) A brand new, $380.00 nylon tow rope at the city’s Ski Tow Area has been cut once again by vandals, according to Paul A. Ryiz, Park and Recreations Director. Ice storms following the only good snow storm of the year prevented opening of the ski area so far this winter. Now the vandalism could hamper another effort if more snow falls, Ryiz says, since it costs $40.00 to splice the rope and about 3 to 4 hours to put it back up. Early this winter, he added, an electric box was stolen.

   This is the last newspaper article regarding the Ski Slope that I was able to find. It would seem as if the Ski Slope closed in 1975 or 1976. I returned home from military service in January of 1977, to find the area overgrown with small trees, having two or three foot trails leading from top to bottom. It would seem at this point that the two main reasons for the closing would be vandalism and “uncooperative weather”. I remember the 1970s as having many winters where there would be repeated snowfalls, and then an ice storm would follow. The ice which covered the snow would often be thick enough to stand on without breaking! This would obviously be a problem for the skiers! With lack of income from the lift fees, and great cost of the vandalism, the town officials probably thought that this area was no longer financially viable by the mid-1970s, forcing its closure.

I remember this park from my youth. I discovered this park somewhere around the summer of 1970 or 1971. That would make me 15 or 16 at the time. I was surprised and delighted by the view! From the top, I was able to see not only to the bottom, but also clear into Newington! I recognized the Veteran’s Administration Hospital, and I was able to see traffic on the nearby roads. I was surprised that this area, not having many people around, had such a well-manicured lawn! The grass was very well maintained! I remember lying back on the grass, by bicycle just behind me, warm summer breeze, just enjoying the sight of the blue skies, white clouds, and peaceful afternoon! In the autumn, the foliage was gone, and the view got even better! Not only could I see Newington, but as the sun set behind me, I saw the gold of the sunset reflecting off of the hospital’s windows! Even more of the roadways could be seen, and I watched the traffic going back and forth. Being born and raised in New Britain, I was not used to such scenic views! This quickly became one of my favorite spots!

   I remember that Blake Road led to the top of the ski area parking lot. At the time, it was in fairly good condition, but it looked as if it had been there for many years. White lines marked off the parking areas for the cars. The paint was quite faded at that time, and I thought that this ski area must have been completed in the late 1950s. (Not correct, as I learned.) From the parking lot, as I looked off to my left (facing downhill) I saw a sign attached to the pine trees. It was square, painted white (plywood??) with black block letters saying “SKI TOW”, one word above the other. To my right I could see several blue-painted automobile rims attached to what looked like short telephone poles, about 10 or 12 feet from the ground. I did not see any rope attached, but learned later that vandalism was a big problem for the park. In the parking area, to my right, close to the woods was a concrete-block building, now empty. I learned later that this is where an electric motor and controls were housed for the operation of the rope tow. Next to this building was the entrance to a dirt trail leading into the woods. This trail would take you across the park’s woods, then if you turned left, another trail would lead downhill to the bottom, into the park proper. This made for GREAT bicycling adventures on that “Schwinn Sting Ray” - the grandfather of the BMX bikes of today.

At the bottom of the slope, the woods began, and there was a trail leading from Blake Road through the bottom of the Ski Slope, further into the woods, leading to the aforementioned trail which led to the park. One thing that struck me was the idea that there did not seem to be much “stopping room” at the bottom of the slope. The hill seemed steep, and only leveled off where the trail went through the area. Not being a skier, I don’t know how much room is needed, but I could imagine kids and trees in a painful embrace during the winter!! I suppose that hay bales, or some other restraint system was used. Perhaps the woods were cleared farther back at some time in the past. Speculation only.

Lights pole.