. . . History is not only held here. It is born here . . .
The Jeanne Rodger Lane Center for Regional History is comprised of the Special Collections Archive, Betty Olsen Carr Reading Room, Wood River Museum, and the Hemingway House and Preserve, providing multiple ways to explore the varied terrain of central Idaho history.
Sun Valley Winter Sports Hall of Fame
Nominations Open through August 1!
The Sun Valley Winter Sports Hall of Fame honors the significant contributions of legendary local athletes and visionaries. The honorees have achieved in their sport or industry and have also given back to the Wood River Valley community. More/nomination form here.
Wood River Museum of History and Culture
How in the World Did You Get to Sun Valley?
This exhibit explores the stories of people who have journeyed to this hard-to-reach area. It is not easy to find Sun Valley and Central Idaho in general, here in the high desert mountains of the American West, but a wide range of people have done so…
Portrait of a Mountain
Over the past 150 years, the greater Ketchum and Sun Valley area has taken shape around, and been shaped by, the iconic Bald Mountain. This exhibit looks deeply at the mountain that defines the local landscape and affects life and imaginations here in so many ways.
A Writer in New Country: Hemingway in 1939
This exhibit examines who Hemingway was when he arrived in 1939: a writer at his peak, a globetrotter drawn to remote places, a rugged outdoor enthusiast, and a man with complicated personal relationships.
Regional History Resources
RESEARCH
Explore books, maps, photographs, and more, and get research help in the Betty Olsen Carr Reading Room. Make a research request here.
WOOD RIVER MUSEUM
Visit the re-imagined Wood River Museum of History and Culture at its new location on the corner of Walnut and 4th in Ketchum.
HEMINGWAY
Learn about Ernest Hemingway and his twenty-two year relationship with Sun Valley through the extensive special collection on-site and online.
Regional History Collections
HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPHS
Browse the online digital photo collection of the Center for Regional History, featuring photos of ranching, mining, skiing, Sun Valley Resort, Hemingway, and life in the historic Wood River Valley. Access the Historic Photograph Collection here.
ONLINE COLLECTIONS DATABASE
Explore the diverse and wide-ranging artifact collection of the Wood River Museum of History and Culture, complete with pictures and descriptions of every item. Access the Online Collections Database here.
ORAL HISTORIES
Peruse a curated collection of oral history interviews with notable and everyday figures in Wood River Valley history, providing an incredible glimpse into the past. Access the Oral History Collection here.
Regional History Extras
“Rear View” is published monthly in the Idaho Mountain Express, taking readers back in history to some of the Wood River Valley’s earliest and most captivating points of interest. See more “Rear View” stories here.
Collection Highlights put the spotlight on artifacts from the Wood River Valley dating back to the first settlers, miners, athletes, families, and local “characters.” See more Collection Highlights here.
The Sun Valley Winter Sports Hall of Fame honors the significant contributions of legendary local athletes and visionaries. The honorees have achieved in their sport or industry and have also given back to the Wood River Valley community. More here about the Sun Valley Winter Sports Hall of Fame.
Current Foyer Exhibit
Tracks and Traces: Reconstructing Chinese History in Southern Idaho
In the late 19th Century, many Chinese men migrated from California to Idaho, along with Europeans and others in pursuit of gold and the promise of Manifest Destiny.
The Idaho Territory spawned numerous mining towns, and Chinese residents and laborers made up one-third of the population by 1870. To date, there is very little known about the many Chinese residents of the Wood River Valley, because none of them remained. Tracks & Traces tells the story of their ghosts. More here.
Research Requests
Contact the Center for Regional History
We want to help you research and learn about the Wood River Valley, central Idaho, and the American West!
