. . . 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.
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 about the Sun Valley Winter Sports Hall of Fame here.
Regional History Collections
Books and maps can be perused in the Betty Olsen Carr Reading Room, and special collections can be explored online and in person with the help of a reference librarian.
Additional notable collections include:
David Meeker Collection on Hemingway | Trailing of the Sheep Archive | Dorice Taylor Collection | Edith Ellis Hyde Papers | Art Ensign, Jr. Family Collection | Jayne A. Smith Collection on Eugene Antz | Institute of the American West Photos and Recordings
Current Foyer Exhibit
Hemingway’s Grave: A Year of Offerings
Curated by prominent Broadway director Les Waters, Hemingway’s Grave: A Year of Offerings, brings together select tokens from hundreds that were left at Ernest Hemingway’s grave in Ketchum over the course of one year. The exhibit features all the liquors bottles left there, plus the coins and paper money, an assortment of ephemera, a rose, and a deeply personal letter. 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!
