Library Blog

Costume Parties Galore

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By Brigid Miller, Museum Community Engagement Manager

Five friends at a Sun Valley costume party

Ned Bell, Myrna Heiner, and Lee Limes in costume at a party at The Quonset Hut in Sun Valley in the 1950s.

From the leaves changing and the colder weather, fall in the Wood River Valley is officially here. This time of year also means all things Halloween: Carving pumpkins, dressing up in fun costumes, and trick-or-treating. While this picture is not from Halloween specifically, it shows a costume party at the Quonset Hut at Sun Valley in the 1950s.

Halloween is often the one time per year that most people get to dress up in costumes, so it is fun to imagine a time when these types of parties were more common. The image notes say, “another dress up day in Sun Valley” and based on the number of other photos we have in our collection from costume parties and dress up days at Sun Valley, it is clear that these events happened often.

This photo features Ned Bell, who spent 48 years living and working in Sun Valley, Lee Limes a long-time Sun Valley resident who worked at the Ram, Sun Valley Ski School, and at the Gold Mine Thrift Store, and Myrna Heiner, who also worked at the Ram and at Sun Valley Ski School. These individuals, and many others, came to Sun Valley during the early days of the resort and through events, such as this costume party, they helped to build, shape, and grow the area and community around them.

Book Review: Nineteen Steps

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Kelley Moulton, Regional History Librarian, recommends Nineteen Steps by Millie Bobby Brown.

Best known for her role as Eleven in the Netflix original Stranger Things, Millie Bobby Brown is stepping into a new role, this time as an author. Her debut novel, Nineteen Steps, brings pieces of history from both the world stage as well as from her family’s history into a story about a small group of individuals living in London during World War II.

Brown takes us through time, starting in 1993 and then back to 1943 as we follow the lead character Nellie Morris in her daily life living under the threat of the Germans and air raid sirens.

But what is a life of fear and threat without a little romance to break up the day?

A potential bus accident lands Nellie into the arms of an American airman, Ray. Yet World War II, even in a book, leads to more than its share of heartbreak and trauma.

Now for the warning: Tears were spilled reading this book. I will also confess that I am one of those people who must read the last chapter when I am a quarter to halfway through to determine if I will keep reading, thus I was slightly prepared for what happened but that made very little difference in the end.

Overall, I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would, and I recommend it (as long as you are properly warned to have the tissue if you cry over books like me). It focused much more on the life of an individual just trying to do her part and survive the harrowing time that was London between 1943 and 1945 than the actual fighting and the pure romance that other novels of this variety focus on.

I also learned more than I anticipated. Brown brings in an event that happened in the Bethnal Green tube station that I personally had never heard about, and I take that as the sign of a good historical fiction book.

Find it in New Books Fiction here.

“Prosperity Mountain” Sculpture Unveiling

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Announcing the unveiling of a new Chinese American Heritage Sculpture, “Prosperity Mountain” by artist Gemma Valdez Daggatt

4:15 p.m. Wednesday, October 25, 2023
Corner of Walnut and Main Streets in Hailey

Prosperity Mountain photo by Luis Alberto Lecanda
Photo by Luis Alberto Lecanda

Historic records – often no more than a ragtag collection of paper scraps, faded photographs, newspaper clippings, a trophy, a recipe box, a porcelain doll – might find their home in the archives of The Community Library’s Center for Regional History in Ketchum, waiting to be brought into the light.

Such is the case with the heritage of Chinese American culture in the Wood River Valley.

Mary Tyson, director of the Center for Regional History, says, “Chinese immigrants are an extremely important part of our history and much of their story has been erased. It needs to be pieced together, little-by-little, through artifacts and archaeological evidence.”

To honor diversity and commemorate the heritage of Chinese immigrants, the Hailey Arts & Historic Preservation Commission will be installing a new sculpture on Main Street in Hailey by artist Gemma Valdez Daggatt, named “Prosperity Mountain.”

The unveiling ceremony will take place at 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, at the corner of Walnut and Main Streets in Hailey. The sculpture stands eight feet tall and includes two interpretive plaques with photos of Chinese immigrants Wah Kee Lea (c. 1890) and Tom Boo (1880-1920). Very little is known about either man.

The Hailey Arts & Historic Preservation Commission states on it’s website, “While celebrating diversity and commemorating the heritage of Chinese immigrants in Hailey, the project also acknowledges an aspect of Hailey’s history that is fraught with racial violence and injustice. As evidenced in historical records and summarized in recent (September 2022) journalism by the Idaho Mountain Express:

“‘Chinese immigrants in the Wood River Valley were met with second-class treatment at best and racial terrorism at worst.'”

To help Daggatt deepen her knowledge and understanding of Chinese history in the Valley, Regional History Research Librarian Kelley Moulton provided the artist with roughly 30 pages of images, newspaper clippings, maps, and historic context, as well as welcome advice on how to distill her research into the handful of concise and compelling words needed for her sculpture.

Daggatt also turned to the Blaine County Historical Society for help on this project, in Tyson’s words, “to help further our understanding of Chinese history in the Wood River Valley.”

Daggatt used found materials and donated her time and considerable artistic vision, plus hours of historic research to the project. “I’ve only been able to pull off this project by donating all of my time and dumpster-diving for salvaged material,” she wrote in a recent email.

Wah Kee Lea
Photo: Studio portrait cabinet card of Wah Kee Lea, courtesy of the Palmer Gates Lewis Collection/The Community Library Center for Regional History

The photo of Wah Kee Lea in “Prosperity Mountain” is also displayed at the Wood River Museum of History and Culture in Ketchum, as part of the How in the World Did You Get to Sun Valley? gallery, which features arrival stories of ten different Wood River Valley citizens across the decades.

The most telling thing about Wah Kee Lea’s exhibit is that it is mostly empty, illustrating the absence of details and the erasure of much of the Chinese culture in the late 19th century and beyond.

Tyson adds, “Many stories from history are often cobbled together, filling gaps where books, papers, or other large bodies of work don’t exist. We are extremely happy to have the resources to help a researcher dig into their subject matter. Researchers are often forging new paths and we want to help people do that.”

One such researcher was Skye Cranney, third generation Idahoan and doctoral candidate in American History, who came to the Center for Regional History last year to look at Hollywood celebrities in Sun Valley in the 1930s. She wanted to know how these famous actresses (wearing pants, no less!) influenced the average American woman. Said Cranney, “I’m interested in questions of how masculine and feminine dynamics reach into everyone’s daily lives in ways they may not expect.”

She wondered, “How does the fact that celebrity women were in Sun Valley, wearing and doing unprecedented things, influence how the average American woman might change what she wears, how she recreates?” Read more about Cranney’s research in Social Influence: Sun Valley in the 1930-40s.

The Center for Regional History receives roughly 250 research requests per year from scholars, academics, authors, and others interested in a wide variety of topics—from ski and resort history to silver mining to Ernest Hemingway. Says Moulton, “Among the strangest requests came during what I call, “The Week of Mining, Aliens, and Castro.”

Says Tyson, many researchers are interested in the Triumph Silver Mine, the Meeker Collection of Hemingway artifacts, Sawtooth City, and the fascinating and sometime tumultuous history of sheepherding in the Wood River Valley. As to the latter, the Wood River Museum of History and Culture hosted Peruvian Sheepherding in Idaho: Una Conversación on October 5, 2023, a replay of which can be viewed on Vimeo.

The Wood River Museum of History and Culture is located at 580 Fourth Street East in Ketchum. Entry to the Museum is FREE and it is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Reach the Museum at 208-726-8118 or email the staff here.

More here about the Hailey Arts & Historic Preservation Commission.

Book Review: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

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Molly! Goodyear recommends The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab.

Molly Addie LaRue 2

We make decisions every day that determine the course of our lives. Some are well thought-out, others are made on the spur of the moment, only a few are made out of desperation. For Addie LaRue, the unanticipated consequences of one desperate decision were devastating, enlightening and revelatory.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab is a compelling and beautifully crafted novel that intricately explores themes of memory, identity, and the impact of human connections. The story centers on Addie LaRue, a young woman in 18th century France who, when forced into an arranged marriage, prays to the darkness asking, “to live freely and to have more time.” Her curse is to live forever and to be forgotten by everyone she meets, rendering her effectively invisible to the world.

The novel is a blend of historical fiction, fantasy, and a poignant examination of what it means to live a life worth remembering.

Schwab’s writing is lyrical and evocative, creating a vivid tapestry of Addie’s centuries-long journey across time and continents. Her encounters with historical events and figures are seamlessly woven into the narrative, adding depth and a sense of authenticity to Addie’s story.

This story is so compelling because it isn’t a simple story of good versus evil, wrong versus right, desire versus romantic love. It’s an intricately woven story of all of these themes and more. Pervasive to the narrative is Addie’s feeling of loneliness so deep that she’ll grasp the worst type of connection in order to feel like she’s seen and means something.

Schwab has crafted a timeless narrative that speaks to the heart and soul, making it a memorable and profound read that you’re likely to want to read again and again.

Please join me on August 7, 2024 for the Library’s Book Club where we will take a deep dive into the themes and meaning of this masterful work.

Find it in print, on CD, and in eaudiobook here.

Book Review: “When”

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Buffy McDonald, Reference Librarian, recommends When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel H. Pink.

A book about the power of timing.

There are optimal times for doing different things—from learning a new skill, to making a major decision, to invoking creativity. 

One way to think about this power of timing is through the concept of circadian rhythms. Most living things have these daily rhythms that impact their behavior, moods, and performance. For example, when we wake up our body temperature is lower, and as time passes our body temperature rises; with that rise in temperature comes more alertness and energy.

Another example: When Danish schoolchildren’s test scores were studied, the researchers found that students who took the exam earlier in the day did significantly better than those who took the exam in the afternoon. The researchers also found, however, that if the students took the exam after a break in the afternoon, their scores were no longer impacted in the same way. 

Our biological clock can impact our energy levels, productivity, and creativity. 

We are more productive at certain times of day and less productive at others. Understanding what works well for us can be quite helpful. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to timing. We can experiment with different ways of scheduling our different types of activities to find what works best for us. 

Timing is not everything, but it is a big thing.

I highly recommend reading When. It is a well-researched book with insights that could help you improve your decision-making skills as well as help you understand how you work and under what conditions you are at your best. 

Hint: Frequent short breaks are more effective than occasional ones and regular short walking breaks are even better. Short, outdoor walking breaks have been shown to increase motivation, concentration, and enhance creativity in the workplace.

Find it in MAIN Nonfiction here.

Review: Winnie-the-Pooh on YOTO

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Systems Librarian, Susie Bille, recommends Winnie-the-Pooh, The Complete BBC Collection

Written by A. A. Milne; read by Alan Bennett; available on YOTO.


DeAnn Campbell, Children’s and Young Adult Library Director, asked me to add some new children’s audiobooks for YOTO players – which she recently purchased for the Children’s Library – to our Collection.

YOTO players are a bit like a boom box built for three year-olds.

Kids pick out an individual story card, stick it into the player, and listen. Is it a toy? Yes. Does it play stories? Yes, and kids love them. Does it need the internet to work? No. Do we have a Winnie-the-Pooh story card? Yes.

So this ticked all the boxes on my list, and THEN I discovered I can download the app on my phone, and check out stories there as well. So on our last drive to Boise, my husband and I listened to Pooh on the hunt for honey. He looked somewhat like a dark cloud (shaped like a bear) floating in the sky under a blue balloon.

The bees became suspicious. Then we listened to him licking honey out of a jar, tracking himself in the snow, and finding Eeyore’s tail. He interrupted his adventures frequently for ‘a little something’ out of a honey jar.

It was delightful. Listening to Alan Bennett (the award-winning British playwright) reading Winnie-the-Pooh brings all the characters to life, exactly as I imagined a long time ago.

It’s time for more adventures in the hundred acre wood.

Find it for YOTO here.

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