By Kelley Moulton, Regional History Librarian
F 01961, Union Pacific Collection, Jeanne Rodger Lane Center for Regional History.
Summer is slowly coming upon us and with it comes high waters, flowers blooming, and the start of fishing season for some. Outdoors people of all ages are starting their summer activities in the mountains around the Wood River Valley, including those looking for the perfect bite or to spend a night outside under the stars. This image comes from the Union Pacific Photo Collection, showcases a fisherman standing waist deep in a mountain lake located near the White Cloud Mountains. Union Pacific had various guides for exploration on its payroll, including Jack Bauman, Clayton Stewart, Taylor Williams. These guides would take guests on trips across the Wood River Valley. From fishing down at Silver Creek to camping and horseback riding into the mountains.
Camping, fishing, and numerous other outdoor recreational activities have been a staple for Central Idaho. The Publicity Department for Union Pacific used their guides and their family members as the models for the marketing pieces they would produce. They would pose at campsites, along mountain ridges on horseback, hike along trails, or like Kilpatrick they would stand in the water with a fishing pole in hand. Today, we see many versions of those same photographs taken with updated equipment but in the same places. These images from both the past and present provide inspiration and insight into the various landscapes we live in, visit, and can explore throughout the seasons.
Note this story was originally published in June of 2023 in the Idaho Mountain Express.
