In the 1950s, a Chinese-American Army veteran built a 440-acre ski resort on a New York mountain where minorities were also welcomed. Decades later, the property has been acquired to become part of a state park

In the 1950s, Chinese-American Army veteran Joseph Tso bought a 440-acre mountain property near Ellenville, New York, and turned it into a hotel and ski resort. At a time when racial discrimination kept minorities out of many resorts, Tso's property offered Chinese Americans and other minority visitors a place to stay, relax and ski.

More than seven decades later, the same mountain is getting a completely different future. The Open Space Institute (OSI) has acquired the Mt Cathalia property for $3.3 million and plans to transfer it to New York State so it can become part of Minnewaska State Park Preserve. The addition will connect two sections of the park that currently remain separated.