Vintage snowmobiles come out of retirement
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POLSON — Drivers on Highway 93 might have thought they’d been transported back 30 to 50 years when Gil Mangels and museum crew David Bosley and John Dark took a spin on the snow in a 1952 Tucker Sno-Cat and a 1970s era Polaris Snow Bird.
Mangels broke out the vintage snow machines from the Miracle of America Museum’s collection in February.
According to Mangels, the Tucker Sno-Cat originally was used in Glacier Park, and he has the original invoices to prove it. The Glacier shop installed a luggage rack on the sno-cat to help park employees move people and their accoutrements.
Since the snow was sticky that day the two back skiis on the Polaris Snow Cat were removed and replaced with wheels. The skis have a rudder on the bottom which would drag on any patches of pavement.
Mangels said the museum volunteers do so much work he’s glad to let them have some fun with the inventory.
