Meet the American who created the chairlift, James Curran, railroad engineer lifted skiing to new heights

An engineer for Union Pacific Railroad, James Curran was tasked with increasing rail travel to Sun Valley Resort in Idaho. While rail traffic never improved, his ingenious chairlift sparked a sports phenomenon.

James Curran swept millions of people off their feet with an idea that changed global recreation.

The Nebraska native created the chairlift, an essential fixture of ski resorts here in the United States and around the world. 

Curran's remarkable American innovation enjoyed its world debut in Dec. 1936 at Sun Valley Resort in Ketchum, Idaho. 

It instantly made mountains smaller, adventure easier and downhill skiing accessible to even the most casual athletes. 

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"He set the stage for the sport to become a global phenomenon," Justin Koski, executive director of the nonprofit U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum in Ishpeming, Michigan, told Fox News Digital.

Sun Valley, the first destination ski resort in the United States, was built by Union Pacific Railroad during the Great Depression. 

James Curran, an engineer for Union Pacific railroad, designed the world's first ski chairlift. It debuted in Dec. 1936 with the opening of Sun Valley resort in Idaho. America's first destination ski resort was built by Union Pacific to boost rail travel. The chairlift played a major role in boosting the popularity of skiing around the world.  (Courtesy U.S. Ski-Snowboard Hall of Fame)

The ambitious concept, an amusement park of outdoor activity, was designed to boost rail travel at a time when the automobile was rapidly becoming the preferred means to crisscross America. 

The chairlift was critical to the concept. Railroad