A rolling pin that was handmade by the donor’s grandfather, “Grandpa Hallis,” in his shop. The pin was brought over the plains in 1853. From the Delaurice Moser Collection (1996.28.04), Center for Regional History.
Handmade Rolling Pin
Collection Highlights-History
Sun Valley Ski Pin
The Sun Valley Ski Pin was awarded for a specific level of sportsmanship. To get this pin, you must complete a run on Baldy from top to bottom without falling. Skiing on Baldy in the 1940s was as challenging as it is today and the mountain itself was a great teacher. You might have run into Olympians, Gretchen Fraser and Jeanette Burr Johnston skiing. There were some differences. There were fewer runs, and if you skied the Warm Springs side, you caught a bus back to the River Run lift. The River Run lift started on the East side of the Big Wood River, where the parking lot is now.
Beginner skiers who took lessons at the Sun Valley Ski School started on Dollar and Proctor mountains, just like today. In 1936, Dollar and Proctor had the very first chair lifts in the world. And, like today, upon improvement, the skier graduated to skiing on Baldy.
In 1948, when Denny Henkel won this pin, she made it from the top of Baldy to the bottom on the River Run side. Henkel had ski instructor, Andy Hennig, skiing with her and then awarding her with the prized pin.
Wood River Museum of History and Culture, 2007.13.01
Gretchen Fraser Olympic Scrapbook
Gretchen Fraser was the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in skiing. She was the first American to win a medal in the Winter Olympic Games. Commemorating her winning the gold, the Gretchen Fraser Olympic scrapbook has memorabilia related to the St. Moritz Winter Games and media attention that followed. It has newspaper articles, photographs, telegrams, and letters about her time there and documents her win– the power and reverberations of the win.
On the left side is the famous photo of Gretchen just after she won the Giant Slalom race. On the facing page is a letter of congratulations from the Portland Junior Chamber of Commerce. The letter invites Fraser to be an honored guest at their Forum Luncheon.
Donald Fraser, Jr., their son, gave their memorabilia collection to the Wood River Museum of History and Culture (formerly the Ketchum Sun Valley Historical Society). It is a prized collection full of awards, scrapbooks, photos, and correspondence. Gretchen’s Olympic gold medal is part of the collection. This scrapbook is one of several.
Gretchen is a member of several halls of fame. She is honored in the local Sun Valley Winter Sports Hall of Fame, along with her husband, Don Fraser.
Kitty Litter’s Polka Dot Heels
These polka dotted shoes were worn by Vuarnettes singer Cherie Kessler, aka Kitty Litter. An apres-ski music and comedy act, the Vuarnettes were a group of four singers and a backup band. This Ketchum homegrown group would create a theme each year, re-write lyrics to select pop music or classic rock songs. They produced their own shows. And with handmade costumes, they performed all winter. Some of the places they performed were the Creekside Restaurant in Warm Springs, the Boiler Room and Ore House in Sun Valley. Devoted fans and drinkers wouldn’t miss.
Oslo Olympic Games
Figure skating Olympian, Sonya Helen Klopfer [Dunfield], wore these ice skates when she performed at the 1952 Oslo Olympic Games. Representing the United States, Klopfer placed fourth. Klopfer and her teammates, Tenley Albright and Virginia Day Baxter, all made a powerful performance the 1952 Oslo Olympic Games. That year–Albright took the silver and Baxter placed fifth.
Sonya went on to coaching fame. Marrying Peter Dunfield, figure skating champion and coach, the Dunfield’s coached in New York and then moved as a coaching team to Sun Valley in the 1970s. Sonya Klopfer Dunfield was inducted to the Sun Valley Winter Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.
Sonya Dunfield Collection, Wood River Museum of History and Culture, 2006.25.02ab
Troy Lee Design on K2 Prototype
New accession at the Wood River Museum of History and Culture of Kent Kreitler skis. Designed and built for Kreitler. The Troy Lee graphics on K2 prototype incorporate “Kreitler” name at the bottom are in old gothic typography.
Kent Kreitler is a local Sun Valley extreme skiing legend, known for big mountain skiing and early work with Teton Gravity Research films. Kreitler is inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in March 2022.
Wood River Museum of History and Culture, 2022.04.08ab
