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
"Rear View" from Regional History
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
Faces of the Fourth
Sayler Peavey, Wood River Museum of History and Culture Intern A small-town celebration proudly marches down a muddy street, with brass instruments, horses trotting past storefronts, spectators and floats. The faces may be unfamiliar, but the feeling is timeless—patriotism, community, and the excitement of Independence Day. This is one of many images captured by Martyn Mallory, one of the Wood River Valley’s early photographers. His remarkable collection, which consists of thousands of … [Read more...] about Faces of the Fourth
The Bald Mountain Hot Springs
Kristine Bretall, Wood River Museum Community Engagement Manager School’s out for summer! For many across the country, swimming only happened in the summer time, but here in Ketchum, Bald Mountain Hot Springs was a year-round fixture on the south end of Main Street in Ketchum from 1927 until the late 1990s. Hot springs were the very first tourist attraction in the Wood River Valley and in the late 1880s in Ketchum, near the Warm Springs base of Baldy, Guyer Hot Springs was built and … [Read more...] about The Bald Mountain Hot Springs
