Herman Smith-Johannsen
Herman Smith-Johannsen University of Berlin | |
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Occupation | Skier |
Known for | Introducing cross country skiing to Canada and North America Oldest living man for 22 days (14 December 1986 – 5 January 1987) |
Herman "Jackrabbit" Smith-Johannsen, CM[1] (15 June 1875 – 5 January 1987) was a Norwegian skier, credited for introducing cross-country skiing to North America. In his youth he was rated one of the best all-round Norwegian skiers.[2] He became a supercentenarian and died at 111.
Personal life
Johannsen was born in Horten, Norway, on 15 June 1875,[3] the oldest of nine children. After studying in Berlin he moved to the United States[4] before settling in Piedmont, Quebec. He married Alice Robinson (1882–1963) in 1907. They had three children; Alice (1911–1992), Robert "Bob" (1915–2001) and Peggy (1918–2014).
The family moved to Pelham, just outside New York City, in 1916.[5] Johannsen managed a business importing heavy-equipment from Norway to North America and Cuba, shuttling between New York and Montreal, until the family permanently settled in Canada ca. 1929.[6][7]
While on a trip to Norway to visit friends, Johannsen became ill and doctors would not let him fly home. Johannsen died from
Professional life
Johannsen graduated from the Norwegian Military Academy in 1894 with a commission as a lieutenant in the Norwegian Army Reserve. In 1899 he graduated with an engineering degree from the
Sportsman
Johannsen is credited with building many
Founded in 1986, the Jackrabbit Ski Trail in the Adirondacks is named in honour of Johannsen. While living and vacationing in Lake Placid between 1916 and 1928, Johannsen laid out some of the original routes used by today's trail.[10][11] He was also famous for his one-day ascents of Mount Marcy (the highest mountain in New York State) starting from Lake Placid, a round-trip of over 30 miles.[12]
Johannsen is also the namesake of
In 1968, Johannsen received an honorary doctorate from
References
- ^ a b Order of Canada Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Herman 'Jackrabbit' Smith Johannsen". Canadian Ski Museum. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
- ^ a b "Herman Smith-Johannsen Hall of Fame Class of 1969". National Ski Hall of Fame. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- ISBN 0773511512
- )
- )
- ^ "HERMAN "JACKRABBIT" SMITH-JOHANNSEN (1875-1987) | Laurentian Heritage WebMagazine". laurentian.quebecheritageweb.com. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
- ^ "Herman Jackrabbit Smith-Johannsen Fonds". McGill Library Archival Catalogue. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
- ^ "Herman Smith Johannsen O.C." (PDF). The Canadian Ski Hall of Fame. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
- ^ "Ski Class". Lake Placid Public Library Photograph Archive. OCLC. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
- ^ Warren, John (27 May 2009). "Old Mountain Road: A Short History". Adirondack Almanac. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
- ^ Cerbone, Aaron (8 February 2020). "Jackrabbit Trail's coming of age". Adirondack Daily Enterprise. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
- ^ "Jackrabbit Program". Nordiq Canada. 2019. Archived from the original on 10 February 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
- ^ "Honorary Degree Citation – Herman Smith Johannsen* | Concordia University Archives". concordia.ca. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- YouTube
- ^ Vaage, Jakob (1983). Skiklubben Ull 100 år 1883–1983 (in Norwegian).
Further reading
- Johannsen, Alice E.(1993). The Legendary Jackrabbit Johannsen. McGill-Queens University Press. ISBN 0-7735-1151-2
- Powell, Brian et al. (1975). Jackrabbit His First Hundred Years. Collier Macmillan Canada, Ltd.
- Norton, Phillip. "Jackrabbit Johannsen. The Pioneer of Skiing in Canada". Canadian Geographic Magazine, Apr/May-1987:18-23.
- ISBN 8-2031-0394-4
External links
- Cross Country Canada
- Laurentian Heritage
- Documentary dedicated to Herman Smith Johannsen, by William Brind, 1975
- Herman Jackrabbit Smith-Johannsen Fonds. McGill University Library & Archives