The Cool History Behind the Modern Snowmobile

Niko Sayu, age 12

In 1924, Wisconsin resident Carl Eliason began to work on his prototype of the snowmobile widely used today. Eliason had limited mobility, making it much more difficult for him to enjoy outdoor activities, so he decided to create his own solution.

Eliason was born in Michigan in 1899 and moved to Sayner, Wisconsin, in 1909. He had a disability that made outdoor activities, such as hunting, very difficult in deep snow. This impairment often prevented him from keeping up with his friends when hunting or trapping. Because he could not keep up on his own, Eliason began to assemble his first snowmobile prototype. Eliason’s first snowmobile was made from a toboggan mounted with a boat motor and skis for steering, along with additional pieces from a Ford Model T and his bike.

In 1927, after building and selling 40 snowmobiles, Eliason patented his successful design. As demand grew, Eliason was unable to meet the demand for snowmobiles and eventually sold his patent to the Four Wheel Drive Company of Clintonville, Wisconsin, after receiving an order for 200 snowmobiles from Finland. The company built 300 snowmobiles for forest and military use before transferring the patent to a Canadian subsidiary in 1947. Production of Eliason motor toboggans ended in 1965.

Twelve years after he died in 1979, Carl Eliason was finally inducted into the Snowmobile Hall of Fame in 1991. He faced various challenges along the way, but persevered and created a vehicle used around the world today.

[Sources: Wisconsinhistory.org, snowmobilehalloffame.com]