Mary Tyson, Director of the Center for Regional History Club Rio, where this photo was taken, was known for great Basque meals served by chef Gloria Batís. It was also frequented as a place to drink, to gamble, and for Basques to board for a night or two. Gloria and her husband, Pete Batís, started the club in 1941, and lived in the back. It was in a central location on the north side of Sun Valley Rd. just behind where Enoteca is now. Gloria served traditional fare in the Rio such as … [Read more...] about Gloria Batís and Club Rio
"Rear View" from Regional History
A Dramatic Bite of History
Ellie Norman, Wood River Museum Collections Specialist This Halloween, we’re highlighting a striking image from the Center for Regional History’s photograph collection—a backlit shot of two actors in a dramatic vampire attack scene. Captured during a production of Dracula by the Sun Valley Repertory in October of 1991, this haunting moment transports us to the heart of Ketchum’s local theater tradition, where creativity and community have long taken center stage. The play this photo … [Read more...] about A Dramatic Bite of History
Sheepdogs Taking Catnaps
Carolina Estrella, Trailing of the Sheep Festival Archives Intern A vigilant sheep stands guard over two Great Pyrenees puppies snoozing away in the shade. It doesn’t seem apparent at this stage of their lives but in a few years those same pups will mature into their sheep’s first line of defense. For generations, Idaho sheep ranchers have used this special dog breed to keep their herds safe from predators. A fully grown Great Pyrenees can hold its own against coyotes, mountain lions, … [Read more...] about Sheepdogs Taking Catnaps
A Busy Day on Main Street
Liam Guthrie, Regional History Librarian It can be easy to imagine the past as a quieter, emptier place sometimes, and in some places it certainly was. But this photograph of Ketchum’s Main Street circa 1938 definitively shows that Ketchum was not one such place. The street is teeming with pedestrians even on a cold winter day. A policeman directs the flow of cars entering the crowded road. A couple men appear to be ski joring — skiing while being pulled by horses — down the middle of the … [Read more...] about A Busy Day on Main Street
Young Women Fishing at Redfish Lake
Lucy Maitland-Lewis, Wood River Museum of History & Culture Intern 85 years ago, this early Sun Valley publicity photograph was taken as two young women assembled their fishing gear at the edge of their canoe. The horizon is tilted as Louis Holliday likely stood in a nearby boat, but the ladies’ boat is frozen in time, level and still, while Mount Heyburn ascends behind them. Donated to the Center for Regional History by Holliday himself, this photo only measures four by five inches, … [Read more...] about Young Women Fishing at Redfish Lake
Pulling Into Station
Finian Ayliffe, Wood River Museum of History & Culture Intern From the onset of 90-degree weather, to the influx of tourists following the Fourth of July, it’s clear that summer has come to the Wood River Valley in full force. This time, like many times of year in the valley, is dominated by the unrelenting economic force of tourism. Looking back at this photograph, taken around the early 1940s at the Ketchum railway depot, it’s clear that the more things change, the more they stay the … [Read more...] about Pulling Into Station
