Collection Highlights-History

The Wood River Museum of History & Culture is proud to showcase this ceramic insulator from the original power poles that once stretched from Cold Springs up to The Roundhouse on Baldy Mountain. This seemingly modest object is a fascinating piece of our local history, representing a significant era in the development of rural electrification and infrastructure in the mid-20th century.

Ceramic insulators like this one began to replace their glass predecessors post-1950, reflecting advancements in materials, science, and a growing understanding of the demands of electrical transmission. While glass insulators were widely used prior to this period, they were gradually phased out in favor of ceramic due to the latter’s superior durability, higher resistance to electrical leakage, and ability to withstand harsher environmental conditions.

The power line that this insulator once served was a crucial link in providing electricity to the iconic and cherished Roundhouse Restaurant. Getting electricity up the mountain was particularly challenging due to the rugged terrain and severe weather conditions. This insulator not only survived these elements but played a vital role in ensuring a reliable power supply, enabling the local community to flourish and modernize.

This specific insulator, with its distinctive form and glaze, tells a story of innovation and perseverance. Each component of the power line had to be robust and reliable, and ceramic insulators were a key part of this resilience. Their adoption marked a significant transition in electrical infrastructure, representing a move towards more advanced and dependable technology.

By examining this ceramic insulator, we can appreciate the ingenuity and effort that went into building and maintaining the electrical networks that have become integral to our daily lives. It stands as a testament to the engineers and workers who navigated the rugged landscapes of the Valley to bring power to isolated communities. This artifact not only illuminates a technical evolution but also highlights the human endeavor behind our modern conveniences.

Wood River Museum of History & Culture, 2022.01.323.

One of the great highlights of the archives of the Center for Regional History is its vast collection of newspapers, dating as far back as 1881. These newspapers, of which the Wood River Valley has had many over the years, give an incredible glimpse into life in the valley throughout its settled history.

However, in a January 31, 1883, issue of the Wood River Times Weekly, amongst articles describing happenings around town, local politics, and news from the wider world, one particularly grisly headline stands out in a large bold font: THE BELLEVUE HORROR.

This article describes an event that occurred in the early morning hours of January 27. Shortly after one, Bellevue residents were startled to hear two pistol shots ring out, followed shortly by cries of fire in the streets. As locals were roused from their beds and rushed into the streets, it was soon found that the home of Mrs. Ella Newton was engulfed in flames. The crowd attempted to locate and rescue Mrs. Newton, but to no avail. Only after the building had been entirely consumed by the flames were her charred remains pulled from the wreckage.

Speculation began immediately as to the mysterious cause of Mrs. Newton’s untimely death. Some claimed murder, as two revolvers were found near Mrs. Newton’s remains, one of which contained two spent shells. It was suspected that the fire had been started to cover up a foul crime.

Others suspected Mrs. Newton herself started the fire and then ended her own life. Her husband, Mr. Lewis Newton, was out of town on business, but the couple were struggling greatly financially. Mrs. Newton had already pawned off some of her jewelry to afford provisions, and many considered her to be a prideful woman who would sooner end her life than to make public her destitute circumstances.

A final theory was that the fire was an accident. Mrs. Newton was also in poor health, and reportedly partook of opium to ease her pains. Some signs pointed to the source of the fire being a coal-oil lamp, which Mrs. Newton may have been unable to escape while under the influence of opium.

None of the grim possibilities could be determined to be the truth, and thus what truly happened on that late night in Bellevue remains a mystery.

To access our extensive newspaper collection, reach out to The Center for Regional History.

Step into the rhythmic heartbeat of tradition with a recent addition to our collection—a handcrafted drum by Pete Yellowjohn, a revered Traditional Elder, Bundle Keeper, and Medicine Man of the Shoshone Bannock Tribe. Crafted with meticulous care and adorned with symbols of ancestral reverence, this drum stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of Indigenous craftsmanship.

Fashioned from stretched buffalo hide, the drum’s surface is adorned with masterfully hand-painted images of the local fauna—a mountain lion and bear—entwined amidst vibrant depictions of native flora. Each stroke of Yellowjohn’s brush tells a story of kinship with the land and its inhabitants, echoing the spiritual connection deeply rooted in Shoshone Bannock culture. Complementing the beautiful paintings on the buffalo hide, the drumstick is a work of art in itself—a slender willow branch wrapped in supple deer hide, embellished with brass tacks.

But more than an object of beauty, this handcrafted drum and its accompanying stick serve as custodians of tradition, embodying sacred knowledge that is passed down through generations. In the hands of Yellowjohn and his predecessors, the art of drum-making transcends mere craftsmanship—it becomes a sacred act of remembrance, a vessel for preserving cultural heritage in a rapidly changing world.

As you view this masterpiece of Indigenous artistry, imagine its rhythmic pulse transporting you across time and space, inviting you to listen not just with your ears, but with your heart—to the echoes of the past, the whispers of the ancestors, and the timeless melody of tradition.

From the Pete Yellowjohn Collection (2023.15.01), Wood River Museum of History and Culture.

The summer of 1884 was an exciting time to be living in the Wood River Valley. The mines were booming, the railroad had arrived in Hailey, and just a couple years earlier, Hailey had been declared the county seat of Alturas County in a hotly contested special election with Bellevue.

Befitting its new status, the county had commissioned a new courthouse to be built in Hailey in 1882. At the cost of $40,000, funded through bonds, the new courthouse was the most expensive building in the Idaho Territory at the time. The courthouse was due to be completed in the summer of 1884, and the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), a fraternal organization of Union Civil War veterans, was throwing a ball at the courthouse to celebrate its opening.

The event would also serve as a fundraiser for the fledgling Hailey GAR post, named E. D. Baker after US Senator Edward Dickinson Baker from Oregon. Baker, a staunch unionist and a close friend of Abraham Lincoln, was killed in an early battle of the Civil War and remains the only sitting US senator to ever die in a military engagement.

This small newspaper ad, now held in the archive of the Jeanne Rodger Lane Center for Regional History, was distributed to advertise this grand occasion to the valley’s residents. Though delayed a week due to construction delays, the inaugural ball took place on July 1, 1884, and was a great success.

Making the front-page of the Wood River Times Weekly the following day, it was written, “All of 60 couples were in attendance, including 10 couples from Bellevue, and dancing was continued until after 4 o’clock this morning – something quite unusual. Nor was any time lost between dances. Ten and nine quadrille sets were on the floor at one time, and very few failed to return after supper.”

The paper also notes that even more would have been in attendance if not for the conditions of the roads preventing a group from Ketchum from attending. The Times reports that the ball surely brought in more than $100 for the GAR.

This newspaper ad and the event it advertised serve as a great window into the vibrancy and excitement in the valley at the peak of its mining boom. Similarly, the same courthouse from 1884 still stands in Hailey today and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, an incredible glimpse into the history of the Wood River Valley.

More here from the Center for Regional History.