In the 1940’s, Alex Cushing, while traveling from the East Coast, came upon Squaw Valley. Unfortunately he incurred a broken ankle. But that actually was a tremendous benefit to the Lake Tahoe region and its successful future as a top world ski and gambling destination. He headed home but later returned big dream, about $400,000 of his own money and a few investors.
Three years later he opened the Squaw Valley Development Company in 1949, with the largest double chairlift in the world. Squaw beat out other top European resorts for the 1960 Winter Olympic Games (see related story)
Cushing recruited many loyal employees and basically created a second “Squaw Valley Family” which he personally credited with making his dreams come true. “You can see traces of Alex everywhere on the mountain,” says Savannah Cowley, a spokesperson for Squaw Valley USA. Full article
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