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Oct 20, 2016 · He retired from Polaris in 1988 but remained a goodwill ambassador for the company for many years. David Johnson, one of original founders of Polaris Industries, died last week at the age of 93. Polaris started to experiment with the manufacture of single track snow machines and this is where David Johnson's Canadian connection comes in.
- The Start of A Business
- Johnson’s Place in History
- David Johnson, Today
Testing the snow vehicle led to more testing. A drive system with homemade CVT clutches was added, different track lengths were tried and speeds increased from an initial 4-6 mph to over 20 mph, Johnson said. Johnson’s plan all along was merely to build a machine for himself, but a funny thing happened along the way. “Pete Peterson had a lumber yar...
When most people tell the history of snowmobiling, and most notably the history of both Arctic Cat and Polaris, Edgar Hetteen’s trans-Alaskan trip in March of 1960 plays a central role. But David Johnson’s many benchmarks are often overlooked. Johnson was Polaris’ first racer — showing up at the annual dogsled races at The Pas, Manitoba, and beatin...
Walking through the Polaris Experience Center, past machines that helped build both Polaris’ history and that of the snowmobile industry, David Johnson shared background stories on the importance of select models — stopping and talking at length where the disastrous 1964 Colt that almost bankrupt the company sat next to the ultra-successful 1965 Mu...
Oct 13, 2016 · A snowmobile pioneer remembered. David Johnson died on Saturday, October 8 in Roseau, Minn. He was 93 years old. His passing marks the end of the true snowmobile pioneers; the founders, the builders, the creators of a snowmobile economy and industry. He and his partners, Edgar Hetteen and younger brother Allan Hetteen, could never have imagined ...
Aug 12, 2019 · 1988: Polaris co-founder David Johnson retires after 42 years with the company. 1988: Ken Larson joins Polaris as President, succeeding W. Hall Wendel, Jr., who remains the Chairman and CEO. 1988: Polaris begins ATV Safety Training, which consists of dealers providing safety training to buyers of new Polaris ATVs.
The history of Polaris runs deep in the Roseau community. Born in 1954 in a shop outside of town, David Johnson, Edgar and Allen Hetteen pioneered the first Polaris snowmobile in Roseau, MN. To honor the history of our founders and employees, take a moment to walk back through time and see how Polaris Roseau Plant looked in 1979. E njoy the ...
David Johnson was one of three men who toiled in a tiny farm implement factory in Roseau, Minnesota in the early days of the sport trying to develop the dream of motorized travel over snow. Co-founder of Polaris Industries in 1945 and builder of the very first “Sno-Cat,” a rear-engine machine sold to one of his neighbors, Johnson had a hand in all phases of the sport during his long career.
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Oct 9, 2016 · Polaris employees and Polaris riders worldwide are celebrating the life and mourning the passing of one of the company’s co-founders, David Johnson . He passed away yesterday in Roseau, Minn. , after an extended illness. He was 93 years old. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the
