"Rear View" from Regional History

By Brigid Miller, Museum Community Engagement Manager When Union Pacific Board Chairman Averell Harriman envisioned Sun Valley, he saw ski competitions as a means to attract athletes and others to this place, as well as a way to promote Sun Valley. These competitions included downhill, slalom, combined, and ski jumping – and Harriman’s vision came true. Sun Valley ski competitions and the famed ski school brought many accomplished athletes, Olympians, and celebrities to the area. One of … [Read more...] about Skiing with Stein

By Kelley Moulton, Regional History Librarian It is once again time for the Sun Valley Winter Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, hosted by the Jeanne Rodger Lane Center for Regional History at The Community Library. Two previous inductees grace this image, Leif Odmark who was inducted in 2010 and Janette Burr Johnson from the Class of 2011. Both longtime Wood River Valley residents who were well known for their skiing contributions. Swedish born Odmark or as some might have known … [Read more...] about Winter Stars

By Brigid Miller, Museum Community Engagement Manager 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 … [Read more...] about Costume Parties Galore

By Tess Lightner, Trailing of the Sheep Festival Archives Intern The image of these sheep in a beautiful field surrounded by hills and snow-covered peaks serves as the best example of the sheepherding life in Idaho. These sheep are grazing on what was the Busterback Ranch, in the Stanley Basin of the Sawtooth Valley, bordering U.S. Forest Service land. Beginning around 1930, this ranch has been passionately owned and operated by the Breckenridge Family, and more recently by longtime … [Read more...] about A Look Back into the Past of Idaho Sheep Ranching

By Brigid Miller, Museum Community Engagement Manager The end of August is always a bittersweet time, summer is coming to a close but the excitement of a new school year dawns. Today this “back-to-school season” is marked by sales, shopping, and commercials, but looking at Mrs. Fisher’s 1st grade class, I cannot help but wonder what the back-to-school season looked like for these students in 1957. Did the shops have discounts? Did parents take first day of school photos on the front porch? … [Read more...] about Back-to-School Then and Now

By Riley Bradshaw, Wood River Museum Intern As summer slowly draws to a close Wagon Days Parade and Celebration quickly approaches. Held annually during Labor Day weekend, since 1958, thousands have gathered in the Ketchum and Sun Valley area to witness the infamous Big Hitch in the Wagon Days Parade. The parade is a non-motorized spectacle, which celebrates the valley’s rich mining past. It pays homage to the many communities that shaped the Wood River Valley. Most notably is the … [Read more...] about Sun Valley’s Wagon Days