Historic Snowshoes ~ Early California Development

Historic and Rare Early California Snowshoes

ca. 1910-1920s

For Sale & Available

Incredibly Rare Snowshoes! 

These are a very rare pair of snowshoes from the early 1900's - 1920's. They are not rare because they are so early, they are rare because of the historical role they played in early California's development and growth through it's early electrical power....generated by melting snow runoff!

Also see a link to early historical photographs online from the Huntington Library, San Marino, California showing Edison Snow Melt Surveyors using snowshoes in the high Sierra Nevada Mountains. Awesome!

These snowshoes were used by S.C.E.CO. (Southern California Edison Co.) employees called 'Snow Surveyors' to determine the amount of snowfall in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This information assisted Edison Electric to determine how much snow melt runoff would pass through their early Hydro-Electric Plants. In the 1920's, the Sierra Nevada mountains were still very unpopulated and very wild. It took hardy men to hike up into that wilderness to make these snowfall measurements.

The right shoe is heavily stamped "S.C.E.CO." into the shoe frame identifying Southern California Edison Co. as the owner of this pair of snowshoes. The left shoe is stamped 'KLONDIKE MODEL 11x60 NO.76' which identified the Model of the shoes and the size.

I am the first owner of these shoes outside of the original family that owned them for 80+ years. In 2002, I purchased these from a man in Las Vegas. At that time the gentleman was about 70-75 years old. I asked why he had a pair of snowshoes here in Las Vegas and was told they had belonged to his grandfather who used them in his work in snow in northern California & Nevada. After spending considerable amount of time researching these shoes, I finally understood why the snowshoes were stamped with S.C.E CO.

I didn't know who made these shoes or when, so I forwarded photos to one of the most reputable rare & vintage ski & snowshoe websites on the internet asking for their assistance in determining who made them and when. I figured that if anyone would know about vintage snowshoes or ski's it would be these people. After a few weeks they contacted me and told me the shoes were made by W.F. Tubbs of Norway, Maine in the 1920's. The owners & curators of that website was absolutely great to help me on this.

I then contacted the Curator of Photography for the Huntington Library of San Marino, California where they have 70,000 photographic images of the Southern California Edison Co. from 1887 through 1975. I was kindly provided a link to their photographic collection online here > Southern Cal. Edison Snow Surveyors (Huntington Library). I was also provided with contact information for the Manager of Creative Services for Edison International. 

The Manager at Edison International advised they do not have a pair of  'Snow Surveyors'              (ed. Antique or Vintage) Snowshoes in their collection of artifacts & therefore would be unable to provide provenance. He did, however, state that Southern California Edison did in fact use 'Snow Surveyors' during the 1920's and even a few years earlier for their Hydro-Electric plant measurements. He provided me with a direct link to some photographs in the Huntington Library digital collection which showed a photograph and documentation of actual Snow Surveyors on snowshoes. 

These snowshoes have a rich history attached to them and would look great on a wall in a cabin, lodge or den (I had them in our den). The shoes no longer have their bindings, but they are nearly a century old, if not older and they don't really need more use. These shoes are now for historical preservation and would not stand up to use. Their next owner will be only the second owner outside the original family. 

Video Slideshow of these Snowshoes...Click Full Screen & HD

Own a conversation piece and an important part of California's history! Contact me if interested. Available for pickup in Henderson, NV (Las Vegas).