Collection Highlights-History

This Todd Protectograph Company check writer was used in the Griffith Grocery store. The store was opened around 1926 and was located on the corner of Main Street and First Avenue in Ketchum, where Sun Valley Culinary Institute is today. The Todd Protectograph Company advertised that the protectograph check writer protected businesses from fraudulent changes because the machine printed precise amounts across the check.  

From the Mary Jane and Dave Conger Collection (2003.58.03), Center for Regional History.    

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

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.