Liam Guthrie, Regional History Librarian As Hailey’s streets remain bare of snow in the middle of January, one can only look back enviously (or thankfully, depending on your disposition) at photos like this one, taken by Martyn Mallory in the winter of 1931. The photo shows Hailey’s main street following a heavy snowfall before snowplows were introduced to the valley. Shoveled piles and snow drifts blanket the street, reaching the height of a person in some places, while a well-trodden … [Read more...] about A Snowy Winter in Hailey, Ninety-Five Years Ago
"Rear View" from Regional History
Reindeer Games in Sun Valley
Kristine Bretall, Wood River Museum Community Engagement Manager December of 1937 brought Santa and his ‘reindeer’ to Sun Valley’s Challenger Inn for the first time (and the last time for the reindeer)! Sun Valley’s opening season was the 1936-1937 winter season, and when the resort closed in April of 1937 for spring, the resort addressed some key needs for their guests: more entertainment options for winter and summer, and of critical importance, a more affordable option for lodging and … [Read more...] about Reindeer Games in Sun Valley
A Nearby Ghost Town: Bullion City
Mary Tyson, Director of the Center for Regional History In the early years of Wood River Valley’s mining boom, many small towns sprang beyond Bellevue, Ketchum, and Hailey. Our towns survived the mining boom and bust that occurred in many parts of the West, but many of the smaller towns didn’t survive and became ghost towns. Initially, in the boom and bust, there was a fevered search for gold and running into silver in pursuit of gold was a nuisance. Then, when silver mining technology … [Read more...] about A Nearby Ghost Town: Bullion City
Ketchum Goes to War
Liam Guthrie, Regional History Librarian On April 6, 1917, the United States Congress voted to overwhelmingly to enter into The Great War in Europe following an impassioned plea by President Woodrow Wilson. As reported on April 4th in the local Wood River Times, Wilson stated, “…the United States must enter the war to make the world safe for democracy, as only one of the champions of the rights of mankind, and will be satisfied when those rights are as secure as the faith and freedom of … [Read more...] about Ketchum Goes to War
Basque Sheepherder Arborglyphs
Ellie Norman, Wood River Museum Collections Specialist A photograph from The Community Library’s Jeanne Rodger Lane Center for Regional History documents a carved figure on the soft bark of an aspen tree in Neal Canyon, about eight miles north of Ketchum. The carving, or arborglyph, was created by a Basque sheepherder during Idaho’s sheep ranching era. By the early 20th century, Idaho had become one of the world’s largest sheep producers. At its peak, 3.2 million sheep grazed its … [Read more...] about Basque Sheepherder Arborglyphs
In the Mines
Vance Cunningham, Trailing of the Sheep Festival Archives Intern Long before Sun Valley opened, even before the rise of sheepherding, the largest industry in the Wood River Valley was mining. The Triumph Mine, located five miles northeast of Gimlet, was the largest. From 1884 to 1959, it produced over $39 million in metals, primarily zinc, lead, and silver ore. This photo was taken in 1938, and depicts three miners (Glen Freeman, Lyle Triple, and Paul Olson) working in the Triumph Mine. … [Read more...] about In the Mines
