Two National Ski Jumping tournaments were held in Red Wing, Minnesota. Because Red Wing is recognized as the birthplace of ski jumping in the nation, and because Harris Andersen, Red Wing, was the President of NSA (National Ski Association) in 1927, Red Wing was awarded the 1928 tournament.
Charlson Hill
Red Wing’s population at the time was about 6,000 and it was reported that 25,000 visitors witnessed the two-day event on Charlson Hill. Harold Charlson, was the owner of a farmstead on Spring Creek Road, about 1 mile south of Highway 61 turnoff (near Red Wing Ford Garage). Harold owned the hill in back of his home and offered it to the Aurora Ski Club to erect a scaffold atop the natural hill, making it ideal for jumps of 120 to 180 feet. Harold was a member of the Aurora Ski Club and a ski jumper in his own right.
Marketing Promotion
A clever and unique marketing promotion added to the crowd those February days. Harris wrote to Copenhagen Tobacco Company and asked for 2,500 empty boxes of snus (a popular Scandinavian chewing tobacco). He and Bill Ward, Red Wing, attached the boxes to 4-foot lathe poles with the help of a Red Wing Shoe Company salesmen.
