Did Minnesota Invent Water Skis?

In the summer of 1922, 18-year-old Ralph Wilford Samuelson, a Minnesotan, began his attempts to stand up on skis on Lake Pepin, just before his 19th birthday. After several attempts and tweaking, he is often credited as the inventor of water skiing. Samuelson successfully water skied for the first time on Lake Pepin using a pair of First competition fiberglass skis manufactured by Dave Saucier and his Saucier Water Ski Company.

The first fiberglass rec skis were made in the late 1950s by Kimball. The story goes that he first tried water skiing while riding his aquaplane, a large, flat board pulled behind his brothers boat. On June 28, 1922, he skied for several yards this way, but knew he knew he was the first person to ride water skis.

In 1972, Lake City held the first Water Ski Days, with a monument dedicated to the invention four years later. Water Ski Days celebrates the invention of water skiing in Lake City and its inventor, Ralph Samuelson. Lake Pepin, a wide spot in the Mississippi River, inspired Samuelson to invent the sport in 1922. Fred Waller of Long Island, New York, was also credited with inventing water skiing in 1924.

Samuelson was the first person in recorded history to ski on water, and within a couple of decades, the sport he invented became a global phenomenon. After days of failed experiments with barrel staves and other methods, Samuelson took his skis and talents on exhibition tours in other areas of Minnesota and became a star performer at summer weekend water carnivals.