December13, 2023

As the snowmobile racing season is about to start, we would like to look back at Polaris and the first official race driver. This year also marks Polaris’s’ 70th Anniversary and we plan to dig deep into the history showing you a collection of photos and memorabilia that has not been seen before. Let’s start by telling a little story about a Polaris legend!

DAVID JOHNSON

CO_FOUNDER of POLARIS

Did you know David Johnson, one of the founders of Polaris Industries, was the first official Polaris race driver?

1956 Polaris Sno-Traveler with David Johnson

1958 photo includes (left to right): David Johnson, Art Lisell, Mitchell Johnson, Steve Rugland 

Note the all-aluminum Sno-Traveler Steve is standing by: was one of the first sleds made from aluminum patterned after the trailblazer’s nose (on left) only bigger.

In 1958 David Johnson, with a contingent of drivers from Polaris met up with the Harry C. Paul’s group from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Harry was a promoter and owner of the Autoboggan. The engine is inside the rear track unit, pushing forward as shown with the toboggan in the front with Mr. Paul steering.

     Harry Paul’s  1958 Autoboggan. 

The group set out to demonstrate the usefulness and design of the Sno-Traveler and Autoboggan. They chose to attend The annual Pas, Manitoba Fur Festival, a wintertime gathering with large crowds celebrating the bountiful harvest of fur pelts while having fun in the snow. There were a variety of contests, including dog sled racing.

The two parties participated in driving around the lake to prove the snowmobiles would work better than the dog sled teams. A tactic to draw more attention to the snow machines was to have the first “snowmobile race” to make them look more exciting. As David was quoted in Bill Vint’s “Warriors of the Winter”, “We tried to rig them a little bit so we had a zig-zag effect,” he confessed. “One guy ahead, and then the other, and so on. At a terrific speed of about 20 miles per hour!” 

David Johnson is doing some zigging and zagging on a 1957 Polaris Sno-Traveler!

Much to the dismay of H.C. Paul, the Autoboggan broke down during the race expedition on the lake. David hooked up some straps and pulled Paul’s machine in with his Polaris Sno-Traveler.

Instead of going a shorter distance to Harry Paul’s truck, David decided to tour The Pas by driving through the town’s main street. Yet another opportunity for Johnson’s to promote Polaris’ brand as being trustworthy and reliable.

Because of that particular weekend, Harry later had a meeting with David Johnson, Allan, and Edgar Hetteen to form an agreement. 

Polaris would build the snow machines, Harry Paul would become a distributor with the stipulation the Canadian-sold sleds name remain Autobaggon. The Autoboggans were built for Harry C. Paul, Ltd., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to market in Canada by Polaris Industries of Roseau, MN from 1958 through 1966.

In 1959, Johnson led another expedition into northern Manitoba and the Polaris group had plans made for some genuine snowmobile contests. A circular course was marked out with stakes in the snow on Grace Lake. The distance was about 400 yards. Three races were held, it was informal but marked the start of organized snowmobile racing and David Johnson won the race again!

 In 1960 the Trapper’s Festival added cross-country snowmobile races to the festivities. Again, David Johnson on the Sno-Traveler was the winner. According to Harry Paul, “No one could beat David. In the cross-country, David would take off right through the small trees!”His sturdy machine blazing his trail. Everyone else was afraid to try it and dodged around the trees. David believed in the power of his machine. “David always won!” reported Harry Paul.

Snowmobile racing had begun thanks to Polaris’ first official snowmobile race driver DAVID JOHNSON!

Autoboggans were similar to Polaris machines but were painted Harvest Gold versus the bright red of early Polaris models. This particular model is a K95C with a 9.5hp Kohler motor.

David was a soft-spoken man, humble and generous. Johnson would remain a regular at the plant his entire life, visiting over coffee. When David walked into the engineering department, “the shop”time was given to talk with him about production and the latest in engineering. The coffee talk was sharing tales and asking for advice. When asked why they designed the sno- traveler, David would laugh and say.

We were pretty much outdoors people, and we did quite a bit of hunting in the Northwest Angle for all kinds of game. We had a lot of snow in some of those winters, so you had to go on snowshoes or walk or whatever. So, I used to tell people that we were lazy, we didn’t want to walk, so we thought of something to ride.” David Johnson told Snow Goer.com on October 9, 2013

It is hard to describe the effect David Johnson had on the industry since he helped build the first Polaris Sno-Cat in 1956. These pioneers left behind a great heritage. David lived in Roseau, the birthplace of Polaris until he died in 2016 at 93. His legacy and beliefs are woven into the small community. You can see many Polaris products at the Polaris Experience Center, in Roseau. Admission is always free. You can also arrange a tour of the manufacturing plant. If you like vintage, consider attending the David Johnson Sno-Cat Spectacular held in December. You won’t just find Polaris there. Take in shop-built, unconventional, and some classics. It’s a day to celebrate the engineering and mastery of putting snow skis and a motor together. Next time your skis hit the snow, think of the ones that rode the trails before you and those visions that are still being designed by people like David Johnson.

In the next article, we will be re-introducing some of the residents of Roseau County and Polaris employees who helped bring the Polaris snowmobiles to the forefront in racing!

You are invited to attend the 70th Polaris Anniversary Celebration on August 16-18, 2024. Book your lodging now.

Historical Content: Carmen Przekwas, Mike and Donovan Hetteen, Roseau Electric Volts and Views, Roseau Times Region and the Roseau County Museum Archives.