This browser does not support the Video element.
Maury's Stories: MN man behind waterskiing
This week's Maury's Story is on the Minnesota man behind waterskiing.
LAKE CITY, Minn. (FOX 9) - One southern Minnesota community is making waves as it celebrates the birthplace of waterskiing and the man behind the sport.
Lake Pepin’s place in invention history
What we know:
Ralph Samuelson grew up in Lake City and invented waterskiing on Lake Pepin in 1922.
Samuelson was a daredevil and avid outdoorsman who spent his summers on the lake.
He came up with the idea that if people could ski on snow, they should be able to ski on water too.
Katie Himanga with the Lake City Historical Society said, "Ralph's idea of a good time was testing his own skills. And he had the idea that if one could ski on snow skis, a pair of snow skis, that one ought to be able to ski on water."
He bought two pine boards, boiled them for three hours, then curled the tips upwards and added leather straps for his feet.
On July 2, 1922, pulled by a clamming boat driven by his brother Ben, Samuelson became the first person to officially water ski, just before his 19th birthday.
Samuelson’s invention quickly drew attention.
"Folks in town and I suppose especially the young people that were spending their days down here along the lake had seen him trying his tricks, trying to get up on there and just thought he was nuts, you know What's going on here?" said Himanga.
Samuelson’s legacy and recognition
Why you should care:
Samuelson never patented his invention and did not make money from it, even as waterskiing became popular worldwide in the 1950s and 1960s.
It was not until more than 40 years after his first ride that a reporter discovered his role in the sport’s origin.
Himanga said, "He didn't need to make a big deal of it. He knew he invented waterskiing. He knew that he was the first one. He was a modest man. He didn't care for the recognition, really. He wanted to be recognized for other things that he had done in his life."
The American Water Ski Association finally recognized Samuelson as the father of waterskiing in 1966. By then, Samuelson had moved on from the sport after breaking his back in a construction accident in 1927. He became a successful turkey farmer in Pine Island and passed away from cancer in 1977.
"It's a terrific story of a young person, like I say, growing up in the most modest of means and going to school here in Lake City and then doing something with an international impact. I mean. We rightfully feel proud of that," said Himanga.
Very proud
Local perspective:
Lake City honors Samuelson with a bronze statue in Ohuta Park, a historic marker at the marina and a four-day festival every June celebrating waterskiing and its inventor.
Heather Thomas, president and CEO of the Lake City Chamber of Commerce, said, "When I go out and I tell people where I'm from and they have no idea that waterskiing was invented in Lake City, that waterskiing was invented in Minnesota. No one would expect that. I think it's really cool for Lake City and really cool for Minnesota to know that there's something else here that has a deep history and a sport that was found in Minnesota and started here and invented here."
Samuelson’s story continues to inspire. "We all understand a young person with some time on their hands and some energy and some determination getting themselves up on skis. So I think it's a terrific badge of honor," said Himanga.
The Source: This story uses information gathered by FOX 9 reporter Maury Glover.