"Rear View" from Regional History

By Mary Tyson, Director of Regional History A horse in the Casino Club? Meh, not a problem for the Casino gamblers. They are clearly too engrossed in the table game to pay much attention to the man or his horse. This photo is a good snapshot of small-town nightly entertainment that was popular across America in the 1930s and 40s, with the exception (maybe) of the horse and rider.   In Idaho, each town had jurisdiction over the local gambling laws. Ketchum allowed table games, … [Read more...] about A Horse in the Casino Club

By Olivia Terry In this image from the Union Pacific Photo Collection, an Alaskan Husky enjoys a moment of rest on a dog sled in a snowy setting in front of Sun Valley’s Opera House. The dog’s stoic pose only hints at the glamorous life of Sun Valley’s sled dogs of days gone by. In the early days of the Lodge, guests could cozy up under furs and take a dog sled tour through the golf course or a longer, fifteen mile trip through the Wood River Valley. When Claudette Colbert visited … [Read more...] about The Glamour of Sun Valley Snow Dogs

By Kelley Moulton The fall season is in its final days as the weather takes a turn for the cold, but pumpkin patches and apple trees are ripe for picking. This undated image from The Wood River Journal Photo Morgue shows Ron States from S&N Produce assisting an unidentified woman at a fruit stand choose some apples. The stand is full of some seasonal favorites along with apples in the shapes of pumpkins, a box of sweet corn, and cider as well as a more tropical option of pineapples. … [Read more...] about Fall Pickings

By Kent Friel, Regional History Summer Intern As autumn arrives in the Wood River Valley, the trees begin to take on shades of gold, while the valley’s silver, or what remains of it, will be hidden from view far below ground. One could note more than a hint of irony in this arrangement, for although golden aspens draw sightseers today, it was precious silver ore that brought year-round settlement to the Wood River Valley over a century ago. During the 1880s, between 20 and 30 mines … [Read more...] about Mining Days of Old

By Sabrina Brewer, Regional History Intern The young spectators in this photo from the Chamber of Commerce Collection are just a few of the thousands of people that line Ketchum’s Main Street over Labor Day weekend. They are here for Wagon Days, an annual festival that recognizes the region’s mining history and the infrastructure that made it possible. The finale of the event includes the Big Hitch, a team of twenty mules on a jerkline who pull six Lewis Ore Wagons, the only of their kind … [Read more...] about Wheels of Time

By Annette Taylor Ah, the dog days of summer. Typically considered the “hottest and most unbearable days of the season”, we have experienced quite a bit of those dog days as of late. We live in the glorious Sun Valley, an area that boasts about 205 days of sun per year, bringing a plethora of outdoorsy activities and tourism with it all year round. In this photo circa 1955, we see the epitome of summer recreation at the Sun Valley Resort. Located at what we know as River Run today, this … [Read more...] about Dog Days of Summer