Skiing was a popular wintertime activity sport at Mount Hood National Forest in the 1950s. To add a twist to this adventurous game, Dr. J. Otto George envisioned a tramway that would connect two popular destinations: Government Camp and Timberline Lodge. And the tramway would run on cables in the air instead of a road or ground.
To turn his dream into reality George formed a corporation called the Mt. Hood Aerial Transportation and started looking for investors. In 1948 he got some initial investments, service land, and a permit to use the forest. He named the tram ‘Skyway’, but due to some copyright issues, he later changed it to ‘Skiway’.
Now the biggest problem was the trams which could work on cables. Otto George modified tram cars to work on cables, which had a capacity of 36 people seated and room for 14 more to stand. The tramway was promoted as the longest and largest in the world and the first of its type ever to be constructed. The tram was scheduled to open in April 1950, but it was postponed to the end of the year.
The initial trip was not successful and a reporter, who had been a WWII Air Corps officer – described riding in the back of the tram car “as similar to the tail gunner’s spot in a B-17 bomber.” Riding in the front was like “riding the front end to a helicopter.” Finally, after more than three hours of the tireless modification, on February 2 the newspaper reported that the tram would begin operating the next day. One-way fare was 75 cents; round-trip was $1.50. The tram entered the terminal on the building’s third floor where the loading/unloading platforms were located.
