Baseball has Cooperstown, New York. Football has Canton, Ohio. But snowmobile racing has Eagle River, Wisconsin.

"This has been going on for 40 plus years up here, it is very much a tradition, it is very much a part of this area," says Bob Mendlesky, an Administrator at the World Snowmobile Headquarters.

But the history of snowmobiling in Eagle River goes back even further.

Mendlesky says, "Snowmobiling, actual snowmobile design, it was done just north of here, started back in 1924 if my memory serves me correctly, with the Eliason design."

At that time, snowmobiles were used primarily for farm work in the winter, but as with any motorized vehicle, it was only a matter of time before people started racing them, and in 1964, the first ever World Championship Snowmobile Derby was run in Eagle River, an annual race that's still going today.

Dick Decker is on the Board of Directors for the World Snowmobile Headquarters, but his family also owns the Eagle River Derby Track, where the World Championship is held. He says, "We get snowmobilers from across the world, and it is *the* race, they kind of say it's the Indy of snowmobiling."

So with that much snowmobile history in Eagle River, it was a natural home for the World Snowmobile Headquarters, which opened in January 2007, right next to the track.

The building houses meetings of the Snowmobile Association, the Antique Snowmobile Club of America's Museum, and the International Snowmobile Hall of Fame.

"If you want to see the history, and see how the technology has changed over the years, you can actually go from the 1953 out here to a fairly current race sled," says Mendlesky.

"The whole thing has just got a lot of history to it, so it's just a great place to spend some time, and look at a lot of nice sleds, and learn a little about the snowmobile industry," adds Decker. "We're proud to be part of it, proud to be able to live here, and be able to work and see the people come up and enjoy it, so it's a pretty neat feeling."

And if you'd like to check out 60 years of snowmobile history, the World Snowmobile Headquarters is open 6 days a week, from 10:00 to 4:00. Admission is free, and for more information you can click the link below.