For those who loved to ski, or just have fun in the snow, it was a
dream come true on February 12, 1945.
A new form of recreation - skiing - was about to come to the
Bradford area. It was rated as one of the best in the Niagara
frontier skiing association district and was named the Zippo Slope
in gratitude to George Grant Blaisdell. Attending the official
dedication were Bradford mayor Hugh Ryan, Councilman Edward
Bitner, Peter Meldum, Bernard Hannon, and James Butterworth, the
Bradford Ski Club, headed by M. Kohler and Bob Pflug, and a crowd
of over1,000 Bradford people who came to see the latest in
recreation facilities in the city and nearly 500 skiers, who just
wanted to have fun. For nearly 30 years, the Zippo Ski Slope
provided hours of fun and recreation to outdoor enthusiasts until
the early 1970's when the slope was closed for skiers. |