In the 1950s, a Chinese-American Army veteran built a 440-acre ski resort on a New York mountain where minorities were also welcomed. Decades later, the property has been acquired to become part of a state park

In the 1950s, Chinese-American Army veteran Joseph Tso bought a 440-acre mountain property near Ellenville, New York, and turned it into a hotel and ski resort. At a time when racial discrimination kept minorities out of many resorts, Tso's property offered Chinese Americans and other minority visitors a place to stay, relax and ski.

More than seven decades later, the same mountain is getting a completely different future. The Open Space Institute (OSI) has acquired the Mt Cathalia property for $3.3 million and plans to transfer it to New York State so it can become part of Minnewaska State Park Preserve. The addition will connect two sections of the park that currently remain separated.

How a Chinese-American veteran built the resort

Tso, who worked as an attorney and businessman and served in the US Army during World War II, bought the property in the 1950s when it was known as Mount Meenagha. He renamed it Mt Cathalia, a name meaning “a little bit of China”, and developed a hotel and ski area on the mountain.

The resort eventually became known as the only Chinese-American-owned and operated ski resort and hotel in the US, according to the OSI. Its history also went beyond skiing.

During a period when discrimination against Asian Americans and other minority groups remained widespread, the Tso family welcomed visitors who faced exclusion at other local resorts. People from New York City's Chinese-American communities travelled to the Hudson Valley to spend time at the resort, according to the OSI.

The resort eventually closed in the late 1970s, but the mountain retained its historical significance. Tso's children, Cecilia and Stan Tso, have said the property still holds deep meaning for their family and expressed hope that its future would allow more people to experience it.

The former ski resort is now changing

The mountain looks very different from its resort days. The old ski runs have gradually turned into meadows, with forests now surrounding the former recreational areas. The property also contains rocky Shawangunk conglomerate formations, deep gullies and hemlock-lined areas that support varied habitats.

The 440 acres also sit between Minnewaska's North and South Gully areas near the Ellenville Ice Caves. Once New York completes the planned transfer, Mt Cathalia will connect those previously separated sections and become part of the preserve's Sam's Point area. The addition will take Minnewaska to more than 24,000 acres.

OSI said the property represents the largest remaining undeveloped privately owned parcel adjoining Minnewaska. Its conservation value also extends beyond the landscape.

Why the land matters beyond its history

The mountain forms part of the Sandburg Creek watershed. Water from the North and South Gullies eventually flows towards the Hudson River, while the North Gully can serve as an emergency drinking-water source for Ellenville. Protecting the land therefore also helps safeguard local water resources.

The property also holds significant carbon in its forests and soils. An OSI analysis estimates that they store more than 132,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. Its different elevations and microclimates also give wildlife areas that could offer refuge as temperatures and weather patterns change.

OSI President and CEO Erik Kulleseid described Mt Cathalia as important for its environmental, recreational and historical value. The organisation says the acquisition forms part of its wider effort to create a connected corridor of protected land along the Shawangunk Ridge.

For now, visitors cannot enter the property. OSI plans to keep Mt Cathalia closed while it completes the transfer to New York State. Once that process finishes, the former ski resort will begin a new chapter, this time as protected land within Minnewaska State Park Preserve.

(With TOI inputs)