happylandbecket.html

Happyland Ski Area in Becket, Massachusetts at the intersection of Routes 20 & 8 was built by John E. Young in 1959. He ran it through the winter of 1963 in conjunction with Happyland--a Disneyland--inspired theme park across the street. The area featured two rope tows. The longest run was 1800 feet with a 225 foot drop. It featured a skating pond, ski shop, night skiing and snack bar. Skiers could stay overnight at the Bonny Rigg Motel across the highway and the area had weekend skiers from New York City, New Haven and Boston. Walter Cronkite was a frequent patron.
In 1961 Happyland installed a "polypropylene rope that does not absorb water and is half the weight of manila". In 1963 the lift price was $2.00 weekdays and $2.50 on weekends.
I believe that the area was operated by someone else after the 1963 season.
John Young was my father-in-law. He died in 1998."

Eric Klein: My Grandfather (John "Jack" E. Young) was a part-owner of the area, but I don't know much about it. He and his wife passed away in 1998. They added a storybook area in the '60s that included buildings modeled after nursery rhymes such as, Humpty Dumpty and Three Blind Mice.

CREDITS: Excerpts: Nelsap.Org, Jim Shulman