About the St. Paul Curling Club

 
Inside the Old SPCC.  Date Unknown

  • November 16, 1885 – first St Paul Curling Club incorporated
  • December 21, 1885 – Nushka Curling Club formed
  • Christmas Day, 1885 – first curling match ever in St Paul played on the Mississippi River near Raspberry Island (later to be known as Navy Island)
  • 1886 – first Winter Carnival Bonspiel played on 8 sheets of ice in Central Park (southeast of today’s state Capitol)
  • 1891 – first St Paul Curling Club built on Raspberry Island with 5 sheets of natural ice
  • 1892 – Northwest Curling Association formed by clubs from Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota and Illinois
  • January, 1893 – First Northwest Curling Association bonspiel held at St. Paul
  • February, 1903 – Royal Caledonian Curling Club from Scotland tours US and Canada, and plays at the Minneapolis Curling Club and the Nushka Curling Club
  • 1904 – original St Paul Curling Club closes, several members start Capitol City Curling Club the following year
  • 1912 – Capitol City Curling Club and Nushka Curling Club merge to form St Paul Curling Club and open new clubhouse at 470 Selby Avenue in December.  Club had 6 sheets of ice, main floor club room and viewing area on second floor
  • January, 1913 – St Paul Curling Club hosts 20th annual Northwest Curling Association bonspiel on 6 sheets of ice inside the club and 6 more sheets outside under huge canvas tents
  • 1922 – SPCC is in financial straits with tow mortgages on the clubhouse and insufficient income with annual dues of $15.  Dues are increased to $20 to save the club.
  • 1932 – members vote to install artificial ice at SPCC.  Estimated cost for 8 sheets was $11,000.
  • 1939 – first 2 sheets of artificial ice installed as a “trial basis”
  • July, 1943 – SPCC hosts first ever summer bonspiel at St Paul Civic Auditorium.  Sixty rinks competed and bonspiel winner was Ken Watson.
  • 1944 – added 4 more sheets of artificial ice
  • 1947 – artificial ice for 7th sheet
  • 1952 – first ever Canadian goodwill trip and formation of St Paul Bonnie Spielers
  • 1961 – Metro League organized to attract new curlers
  • 1962 – Mixed Curling Club formed and sheet 8 is finally refrigerated
  • 1963 – first Winter Carnival Mixed Bonspiel held
  • 1960s and 1970s – decline in membership, deterioration of neighborhood bring discussions of moving or disbanding the curling club
  • 1982 – old building over sheets 7 and 8 is demolished and replace, ice plant is renovated
  • 1983 – major renovation of club rooms
  • 1986 – new lighting installed in arena
  • 1988 – SPCC hosts USCA Mens Championship and becomes first club to host every national championship curling event
  • 1994 – first junior bonspiel at SPCC