James Laird - "Some Summer Activities at Lark Ellen Home for Boys for Boys" - Page 4

Camp Seely was also open in the winter time and catered to winter sports. There was an area where they did ice skating by filling it with a few inches of water in the winter. There was also a ski jump on the side of a steep hill. It was all we could do to climb the hill to the jump ramp over all the rocks. Looking down from the ramp it looked so steep we thought anyone who would go down it had to be crazy. Of course we never did see it in the winter or we might of changed our minds.

Maybe there was also a sort of toboggan or some sort of sled run that was pretty neat. It looked sort of like a metal ditch coming around the side of a hill near the camp. It was steep enough on the top half that using the right kind of sled you could get a good ride. Having no regular sled but someone found that part of a broken folding chair would work. These chairs had slightly curved front legs made of hard wood. With the seat part removed they were shaped just about right for a ride down the chute with your bottom on the back part and feet on the bottom rung. They did not work for pine needle slopes though. Your piece of tin or cardboard was faster and less painful.

Jim Laird