Platinum Contributing Member Jimmy Snacks Posted July 15, 2023 Platinum Contributing Member Share Posted July 15, 2023 A follow up to Paul Cranes & Bob Bottoms visit to Valcourt in 1958 to check out a small over the snow vehicle J. Armand Bombardier was working on he named the Ski-dog. In this photo is the very first Bombardier Ski-dog to enter the UNited States of America. It was ordered after Bob Bottoms watched his salesman Paul Crane test drive the proto-type. It was delivered to Timberland Machines, Inc. branch store in Lancaster, NH on December 4th 1959 as a 1960 model. It had a hefty price tag of $950 which was big money in 1959, considering you could by a new pickup for not much more than that. So the machine sat around for the better part of a year until the fall of 1960 when a gentleman by the name of David "Red" Parks a local owner of an automobile junk yard came in one day and offered to take it off their hands in trade for a woodlot he had out in East Lancaster. Bottoms took him up on the offer. That's correct folks, the first Ski-doo to enter America wouldn't sell, so it was traded for a woodlot! Needless to say, things changed drastically within the next few years. Timberlands soon outgrew the old Schurman Motors building they purchased in '58 to a brand new big modern building with a warehouse large enough to accept & deliver to dealers over 10,000 Ski-doo snowmobiles at it's peak! In 1966, Bob Bottoms contacted Mr. Parks, now with his offer. To trade in the 1960 model for a brand new 1966 10 hp Ski-doo. Parks agreed to the trade. Bottoms then had America's first Ski-doo completely restored & donated it to the New Hampshire Snowmobile Museum in Allenstown, where still resides today. Paul Crane has Dave Parks' 1966 Ski-doo in his Museum in Lancaster, unrestored but in remarkable condition. Below is President of Timberland Machines Inc. Mr. Robert Bottoms on left, with the first & only owner of the first Ski-doo on right. In the foreground is the revolutionary Bombardier Ski-doo & the first one to enter America so many years ago. Racing didn't really take off until the second one came down. 😆 Bob Bottoms was inducted into the Eastern Snowmobile Racing Hall of fame as a promoter of both the sport of snowmobiling & racing. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod Posted July 15, 2023 Share Posted July 15, 2023 Neat history 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold Member EvilBird Posted July 15, 2023 Gold Member Share Posted July 15, 2023 Funny they were Ski dog . wonder how the hell Ski Doo was decided. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckf Posted July 15, 2023 Share Posted July 15, 2023 Cool article. I can remember Timberland a little from my childhood. A friend's grandfather worked for them. I've driven by Crane's museum in Lancaster many times but haven't caught it open when I have had the time to stop. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomas. Posted July 15, 2023 Share Posted July 15, 2023 2 hours ago, EvilBird said: Funny they were Ski dog . wonder how the hell Ski Doo was decided. The story I always heard that it was a typo and it stuck 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XCR1250 Posted July 16, 2023 Share Posted July 16, 2023 Pick up the book...Warriors of Winter, it explains the whole history of sledding, I have both the hard & soft copy versions here. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.