Tony Wise Museum of the American Birkebeiner
About the Museum
Each February thousands of cross-country skiers gather in Wisconsin to take part in North America’s largest and greatest ski race, the American Birkebeiner. Considered an iconic world-class sporting event, for over 50-years the Birkie has helped shape the lives of tens of thousands of participants from elite athletes to recreational citizen skiers. To commemorate the legacy of the race, it’s founders, and inspire future generations, the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation (ABSF) created the Tony Wise Museum of the American Birkebeiner on August 5, 2016 in Hayward, Wisconsin.
The American Birkebeiner ski race was the vision of Hayward native Tony Wise, who discovered skiing as a soldier serving in Germany in World War II. After the war, Wise brought his concept home to found Telemark ski area, near Cable, WI, and later evolved the concept into a cross-country ski race through the north woods of Wisconsin. While the race originally began in Hayward and ended in Cable, WI, since 1993 the race has traveled north to south from the north woods of Cable to Main Street in Hayward, WI. The American Birkebeiner was patterned after the Birkebeiner Rennet ski race held each year in the forests of Norway. Wise’s vision shaped a community, a sport and brought the world together with the founding of the Worldloppet, an international sports federation of cross-country skiing marathons.
The Tony Wise Museum of the American Birkebeiner will transport you back to the origins of the American Birkebeiner through lively, state-of-the-art exhibits including an immersive video experience, a three-dimensional Birkie Trail model, electronic race scrapbook, numerous race artifacts, and memorabilia. Visitors will find a compendium of historic race film, photographs, and view oral history stories as told by founding skiers, longtime volunteers, and past Birkie staff.
Throughout the museum, visitors will find an emphasis on the stories and legacy of Wise and Telemark, the Birkebeiners, and the legendary Cable to Hayward American Birkebeiner ski race through the years. The Birkebeiners are popularly celebrated for having escorted the two-year-old Haakon Haakonsson, an heir to the Norwegian throne, to safety from Østerdalen to Trondheim, a long and perilous journey through the treacherous mountains and forests of Norway. Their determination is commemorated each year at the American Birkebeiner, a ski marathon, as skiers recreate their courageous journey.
Now is your chance to join us in the new installation of the renovated museum and help bring to life some amazing new features! The new installations and updated features are a $450,000 project as part of the overall Campaign for Mt. Telemark Village. These stories can’t be told without your help!
Immersive Video Experience – Become inspired by 360* video footage from the American Birkebeiner, riding the Trek Trails powered by OTM, Lumberjack World Championships, and other trail and event experiences.
Expanded Artifact and Memorabilia Wall – Many of the amazing pieces of history will be re-displayed but through the generosity of our past participants and donors we have new and exciting items being added to this collection.
Hall of Champions – Many remember the inspirational display of Birkebeiner and Kortelopet Champions through the years that originally was inside Telemark Lodge. The iconic birchbark frames were carefully hung on the rough sawn cedar wall marking their place in history and inspiring scores of future skiers. This hall has been re-created inside the Base Camp building and is dedicated in honor of Carol Duffy, the first Kortelopet Champion, first Worldloppet Master, and all around inspiration.
Historical Mural – Yet to be completed is a historic mural coming to the 280’ long retaining wall along Birkie Blvd and below the Thatcher Solar Prairie. Showcasing the properties history in three parts; the far past of the natural and Ojibwe history, the near pat of Tony Wise and Telemark Lodge, and the current history in the making of the American Birkebeiner and Mt. Telemark Village, this will tell the continuing story of the land and people who have made it a part of the local community in many ways over the centuries while inspiring us all to be good stewards to the future.
Lobby Plaza – Interactive history will come alive as the free-standing columns from the former Telemark Lodge lobby walls and elevator shafts are transformed into an outdoor plaza for picnicking, reflection, and sharing of history with art installations among the columns. Learn more about Lobby Plaza.
The Tony Wise Museum of the American Birkebeiner is being installed in stages to it’s new home at the Base Camp building of Mt. Telemark Village. The museum is free and open to the public during building open hours which are 7:00am-9:00pm daily.
Ways to Give
- Make a donation online.
- Mail a check using these Offline Payment Instructions.
- Use a donor advised fund. Make your contribution payable to:
The American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation/Telemark
Our EIN is: 39-1503175
Our mailing address is:
ABSF/Telemark, PO Box 911, Hayward,
Wisconsin 54843.
Do you want to transfer stock, contribute an IRA distribution, learn about naming rights for a larger donation, or ask questions? Contact Louise Droessler or Ben Popp via the phone numbers or email addresses listed below.
Your support is truly appreciated. Please contact us with questions or comments.
Louise Droessler
Development Director
louise.droessler@birkie.com
608-843-8451
Ben Popp
Executive Director
ben.popp@birkie.com
715-558-3091
The Tony Wise Museum of the American Birkebeiner has received generous support from 350 individuals and organizations. In addition, many memorabilia items were gifted to the museum from the family of Tony Wise, past Birkie champions, founding skiers, citizen skiers, and from gracious donors far and wide. Without their support the initial installation of the museum would not have been made possible.
Join us now to help bring to life the new features at Mt. Telemark Village.
