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Tribute to Bruce Kehr

Bruce Kehr, Industry Pioneer & Stevens Pass Resort Founder

With respectful admiration for a true pioneer of the Pacific Northwest and the ski industry, Bruce will not be forgotten.
January 12, 1912 - December 2, 2008

Stevens Pass Remembers -
1937, two passionate skiers left Seattle and traveled inland to the heart of the Central Cascades.  The summer before, a young Bruce Kehr and his business partner and friend Don Adams had acquired the rights to121 acres of Big Chief Mountain for $1 an acre and a $35 year operating permit.   Together, they assembled the first rope tow at Stevens Pass out of $800 worth of wheels, rope, and an old Ford V8 engine. 

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That first season the pioneering Kehr and Adams earned a grand total of $80, an overall year end loss of $8.  Not to be dissuaded, the perseverant pair stayed true to their vision returned season after season, laying the foundation and building the resort that we know and love today.

Bruce brought his young bride, Virginia, to the mountain to live and work beside him as the resort grew.  As a team they worked, toiled and spent long days to realize their dream of a ski destination in the Washington Cascades.  Being an avid skier himself, Bruce put that passion into what he built. Virginia also developed a passion for skiing and could be found out on the mountain enjoying those powder days.  While the resort has changed over the decades, much of what these pioneers built is evident to this day.

Now more than 70 years later, the legacy ignited by the passion and vision of Bruce Kehr and Don Adams lives on.  Bruce and Don will be remembered with the respectful admiration of the many thousands of people who enjoy Stevens Pass. The spirit and vision of these two true pioneers will not be forgotten as long as the lifts still spin at Stevens.