In 1951, in a news article about a ski jumping competition at Elberta, the writer mentions that a team competed from the Briar Hill Ski Club from Mesick. This from The Benzie County Patriot, February 15, 1951.
In Feb. 4, 1954, The Farmington (Mich.) Enterprise reported that the Michigan Open Ski Jumping Championship was to be held at Briar Hill near Mesick on February 7. They expected to host some of the nation’s most outstanding jumpers with jumps of up to 165′ on the improved hill.
On Feb. 10, 1957, Per Staavi of the Chicago Norge Ski Club won the Michigan Classic Combined Ski Meet with 307 points, winning the X-C race on Saturday at Caberfae and jumping 2nd on Sunday to Earl Hill at Briar Hill in Mesick, according to the Milwaukee Sentinal, Feb. 11, 1957.
In about 1959, a Consumers Power brochure listed Briar Hill as being 3 mi east of Mesick and 20 mi northwest of Cadillac, just off M-42 and M-115. They had 8 slopes from 600′ to 1300′ long, 3 tows and a ski jump. They had rentals and snacks available.
