Cranmore was founded by local businessman Harvey Gibson and opened for the 1937–1938 season with a single rope tow. For the 1938–1939 season, a new lift, dubbed the Skimobile, which consisted of small cars traveling on a wooden track and was designed by area mechanic George Morton, was installed, rising from the base to about halfway up the mountain. In its early years, Cranmore distinguished itself from other ski areas by its Skimobile, a relatively developed base area and lodging, and a ski school run by European skiers.