Jam-packed with inside jokes and local references, “The Great Sun Valley Game Book” is a fantastic glimpse into the culture of Sun Valley and Ketchum in 1981. Featuring games, illustrations, parody songs, and quotes from novelty t-shirts, few items give such a personal perspective into the atmosphere of Sun Valley at the time. As the book’s creators, Sue Parr and Nicki Lee Foster, write in its introduction, “More than just a place, the valley is a way of life and once you’ve come under the spell … [Read more...] about The Great Sun Valley Game Book
Collection Highlights-History
Ceramic Insulator from the Cold Springs Power Line
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 … [Read more...] about Ceramic Insulator from the Cold Springs Power Line
The Bellevue Horror
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 … [Read more...] about The Bellevue Horror
Resonating Traditions: The Handcrafted Drum by Pete Yellowjohn
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 … [Read more...] about Resonating Traditions: The Handcrafted Drum by Pete Yellowjohn
Annie the Antelope
Early Sun Valley featured a wide array of animal residents including ducks, geese, many breeds of dog and perhaps most unusually, a tame family of antelope. Most well-known of these antelope was one named Annie, featured in this picture from the Community Library’s collection posing with Lucille Ball. Annie and her three children were known for taking swims in the resort’s lake, elegantly leaping across the golf course, and following guests around as they enjoyed their stay at Sun Valley. So … [Read more...] about Annie the Antelope
Blaine County Courthouse Ball
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 … [Read more...] about Blaine County Courthouse Ball
