The last gunners of Alta; artillery protected skiers for decades from deadly avalanches
In late March 1949, Monty Atwater finally gained permission to conduct a groundbreaking experiment at Alta. The Forest Service supervisor, Felix C. Koziol, and the Utah National Guard approved Atwater's outlandish proposition to perform a test fire to shoot avalanches at Alta with a French 75-mm howitzer.
Source: parkrecord.com