The history of the modern day recreational snowmobile is fairly recent, however, travel over snow goes back many years, although man actually flew before he could master snow travel.
While the Wright Brothers flew in 1903, the very first vehicle that was built to go in snow wasn't created until 1908.
That was the Lombard log hauler designed and built in Waterville, Maine. It was a large cumbersome machine that resembled a steam locomotive, only it had a half track design and front skis.
In 1909, a man named O.C. Johnson built an over the snow machine that went on top of the snow, when it worked. It was roughly ten feet long, used a track design, "one lunger engine", and was capable of rudimentary steering.
In 1913, Virgil White, a Ford dealer in New Hampshire, invented a track and ski unit conversion for the Model T Ford.
