Ski Signal Point
In the 1950’s, Post Falls, Idaho was a ski town.
Long before a skiing frenzy gripped the winter resorts of the United States, there was the Signal Point Ski Resort in Post Falls, Idaho.
From 1950 until almost the end of the decade, Signal Point offered weekend skiing and lessons, providing a total of three runs and, at one point, six rope tows on the east side of the mountain, giving an impressive 1,000+ vertical feet with a spectacular view of Lake Coeur d’Alene. The eventual arrival of the world’s first double chairlift at Mount Spokane began the decline of the operation. Before then, the closest chairlifts were at Mount Hood or Sun Valley.
Maitland E. Wilkins, an early skier and tugboat operator on Lake Coeur d’Alene, spotted Signal Point from the lake, and having dreamed about a ski run close to home, one day bought 570 acres at the mountain top for only a few dollars per acre.
With the help of numerous volunteers from the area, Wilkins’ team built a road up the hill and cleared brush and trees to create the parking area and three runs.
The lodge was the first structure to be built and was a three-story building, heated by a wood furnace. The lodge was built from trees volunteers felled themselves, skidding them off the hill with a horse. The main floor included a kitchen with a view of Lake Coeur d’Alene, the city and the mountains to the east. The third floor contained sleeping quarters for the caretakers.
Volunteers then built towers for the rope tows, and finally got them installed. The longest rope tow was an impressive 1,000 feet. Wilkins constructed snowplows from Army 4×4 and 6×6 trucks. Keeping access open in winter was no easy task, as Signal Point Road from the base to the Lodge was a long one.
Realizing that the operation would require funds, Wilkins started the Signal Point Corporation and sought investors. Most local businesses and clubs contributed something, either in money, equipment or labor.
Many hundreds of volunteer hours went into clearing and grooming the three runs, including much help from Coeur d’Alene High School students. Local teacher Robert Young recalls, “I started teaching in 1950, and my wife and I never went up there without at least a half-dozen or so kids to clear and cut brush and to drag ropes up the hill.”
The wives of the founders usually cooked hamburgers for sale, with the meat donated by grocers and the rolls homemade by a Mrs. Young. All proceeds went back into the cost of keeping the enterprise going.
"My friend Mate worked on the tugboats, so he could get rope from them, and we'd go set up an old Ford engine and get old automobile rims and hang 'em up on the trees and run the rope over 'em. We'd get an old Ford V8 engine and transmission and we'd build a gear box and set up a couple of sheaves and some pulleys and get the thing to turn and shift her into gear, and once in awhile we'd get her into high gear and it'd go pretty fast. I wasn't the greatest skier in the world, but I had a ball skiin'. I went a long way, and then my kids went even further."
During operation, lift tickets were $1.50 per day. The resort had no ambulance, so instead used a station wagon driven by the lodge staff. The splints were homemade, but the safety record was impressive.
Because of the long and narrow road, a sign was posted in the lodge that read, “No downhill traffic until 2:30.” (see photo above) The road was kept open by plows that Wilkens built using Army Jeeps.
Beginner skiers were challenged by the runs which, at today’s ratings, would be considered either intermediate or expert. Average snow depth in those years was between 5 and 6 feet on the slopes.
The lodge was like a family home. Experienced skiers provided lessons for beginners. There were no “groomers”, so skiers would side step down the slope to pack the run.
With the arrival of chairlifts at Mount Spokane and “Schweitzer Ski Basin”, there began an irreversible decline in attendance. Signal Point Corp. closed the ski resort in 1956, and the investors were repaid about 10 cents on the dollar.
Then one February day in 1958, a young Air Force officer and fighter pilot named Neil Udel from Aberdeen, South Dakota, stood in the street in Post Falls, looked up at the mountain, and bought the entire ski area fro $25,000 sight unseen (the road having been closed off for the winter). Udel moved into the lodge with his family, working 18 hour days, hoping to revive it the following season, even planning to build a “European style enclosed aerial tramway to the summit”.
Signal Point was finally closed the following winter due to a lack of business.
Another even closer ski area — called Holiday Hills — operated later in the 1970’s on the slopes of what is known today as Legacy Ridge in Liberty Lake.
Now that Signal Point’s ski facilities are gone, the peak is home to microwave relay towers repeating Spokane radio signals. But athletic activities other than downhill skiing still attract visitors to the mountain. Now the area is used by mountain bikers, hikers, and ATVs.
Photos courtesy of the Museum of North Idaho. Many thanks for their research help. Excerpts taken from an article by Fred Glienna in the MNI quarterly newsletter, Fall 1996. Also check out the book “Ski the Great Potato“. See more references below.
Finding the Historical Remains
If you didn’t know where the ski area was, you would never find it today. Trees have filled in the runs, but the lodge foundation is still barely there, a small reminder of a forgotten era.
Name Discrepancies
“Signal Point” is the local nickname for the peak that is officially named Mica Peak, although the road to the top is named Signal Point Road (and on some older maps is referred to as Ski Lodge Road).
A separate 3-peaked mountaintop ridge that forms the backdrop of Post Falls is often referred to as “Signal Point” as well, since a radio tower appears at the top of each of these peaks. But this 3-mountain ridge is actually called Blossom Mountain.
Lastly, there is Shasta Butte, the large rock outcropping northwest of Mica Peak, that locals call “Big Rock”. To finally confuse matters, there is another Mica Peak just across the state line in Washington, which is actually the southernmost peak in the Selkirk Range.
So there you have it. There are two Mica Peaks, one in Idaho (where the ski hill was), and one in Washington. And there are 4 total peaks nicknamed “Signal Point”, comprised of Mica Peak (Idaho) and Blossom Mountain. And some old timers call Mica Peak “B-29 Hill” because a B-29 crashed there in 1944 turning a training run. Phew. These locals, I tell ya.
Getting There
Take West Riverview Drive across the Spokane River in Post Falls, then take a left on Signal Point Road. Park at the end, then hike up the rest of the way.
A word of caution: There is a mentally unstable man who lives in the 2nd house on the left just after the gate. He has a bad temper and hassles hikers if they park at the turnaround or attempt to hike up. He has trail cams along the entire road and enjoys taking photos of younger children. He is obviously a newcomer here who makes it his goal to hassle local Idahoans who want to get out and peacefully enjoy the outdoors.
He has been reported to the police many times by us neighbors in the area due to his actions. Please contact him or report him to the police if he hassles you in any way. His info:
Mike Kohoutek
[email protected]
[email protected]
(208) 457-0828
Location of the Runs
The ski area was located on the east-facing slope shared by Signal Point (Mica) and Big Rock, the commonly used names for two peaks that can be seen from both Liberty Lake and downtown Coeur d’Alene. In fact, if you were sitting on the CdA City Beach and looked up over Cougar Bay, you would see the ski runs in the 50’s.
The top of the 1,000 foot rope tow was 900 feet below the aviation beacon on Mica Peak (now the radio tower).
Location of the Lodge
The Lodge was located 2800 feet below the aviation beacon on Mica Peak (now the radio tower). To get a bearing in the right direction, you can still see the powerline cut from Mica Peak, down to the top of the 2nd tow rope line. Coordinates are: 47.627518, -116.981307
While you’re there…
A hike up to Shasta Butte is always a cool trip while you’re in the vicinity. When you’re at the location of the old lodge, turn back towards Post Falls and go about 2,000ft (just under a half mile). Take your next left and take the winding dirt road up to the protruding rocks of Shasta Butte for an incredible 360 degree view.
References
Author of this article:
Tom Latham, Signal Point resident, Post Falls
[email protected]
CdA Press
Moving History Forward: Cd’A had a ski area on Signal Point
https://cdapress.com/news/2022/mar/11/moving-history-forward-cd-had-ski-area-signal-poin/
CdA Press
Storytelling with Ed Servick
https://cdapress.com/news/2010/jun/20/storytelling-with-ed-servick-5/
Liberty Lake Splash
History: Signal Point Ski Resort
http://libertylakesplash.com/news.asp?id=20327
Wikipedia
Mica Peak
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mica_Peak
The Spokesman Review
Skiing Promised at Signal Point
https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EnxWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DuYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1372%2C3458865
The Spokesman Review
New Inland Empire Ski Area Near Post Falls Nearly Finished
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19501119&id=YWNWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CPIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6499,2140205
The Spokesman Review
Signal Tows Ready
https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=z2wpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TecDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2546%2C2559051
The Spokesman Review
Signal Point Ski Area
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-spokesman-review-signal-point-ski-ar/65587333/
The Spokesman Review
Rope Tow Facilities Bettered on Ski Slopes at Signal Point
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19531117&id=iS9WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=POYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5585,1650045
The Spokesman Review
New Owners Revive Signal Area
https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9zFWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Z-cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7018%2C960796