Northern Shoshone / Tukedeka Exhibit

The Tukudeka, also known as Sheepeater Indians were most closely related to the Lemhi Shoshone. This isolated group lived in the grassy meadows and high mountain valleys of the Salmon country. A major prehistoric campsite known as Elkhorn Springs was discovered during the early 1970’s. It is one of the most significant archaeological finds in the Big Wood River area. The site was an ancient stone tool production camp where the entire tool-production process was well represented. This exhibit displays a number of the points and stone tools found at the Elkhorn Springs excavation and discusses the ethnography of the northern Great Basin.

Early Skiing

Ski equipment and clothing from the 1800’s to present day are on permanent display.

Many people do not realize that the early residents of Ketchum skied. Miners brought skis they had used in the California Sierras during the 1850’s. In the 1880’s mail was carried over Galena Summit to the gold mines at Sawtooth City and Vienna. Most skis were handmade of wood, up to lengths of 10 feet. A single, long pole was used for stability, for dragging to slow down on a steep slope, and for poling. Skiing was not only for work-related travel, but also used by both men and women for pure enjoyment.

Jimmy Griffith

Jimmy Griffith was the first native-born Sun Valley ski racer to earn a berth on a U.S. Olympic ski team. Although he’d never had a formal lesson in his life, he was one of America’s top Olympic hopes. While training for the 1952 Olympics, Jimmy was injured in a skiing accident and died from complications at the age of 22. This exhibit honors his memory.

Mining - Railroad - Sheep Ranching

The mining of silver and lead ore played a major role in the development of the Wood River Valley during the 1880’s. The silver crash in 1894 took a heavy toll on the West. Mines and smelters were closed and Ketchum’s population dropped 90%. The presence of the Oregon Shortline Railroad was key to the survival of Ketchum’s economy in the aftermath of the crash, and those individuals who remained, watched Ketchum grow into the second largest sheep raising and shipping center in the world.

10th Mountain Division

During the early phases of World War II, the army made seven ski training films at Sun Valley, which included several of Sun Valley’s ski instructors. These films were designed to bring recruits to the 10 th Mountain Division, a division formed for mountain warfare. The 10th Mountain skiers better known as “The Ski Troops,” pushed the Germans from the mountains of Italy and were instrumental in ending World War II. Many veterans of the brave, dedicated ski troops were instrumental in skiing’s postwar boom.

The U.S. government issued the town of Ketchum a national award in recognition for having sent the greatest number (per capita) of men to serve in the war. This exhibit honors the veterans of World War I, specifically from Ketchum, but ultimately honors WWI veterans nationwide.

Don & Gretchen Fraser Exhibit

Both Don and Gretchen Fraser were well-respected Olympic skiers. In 1948, during the first postwar Olympics, Gretchen won the gold medal in slalom and the silver medal in the alpine combined event. She was the first American skier (male or female) to win an Olympic Gold Medal. Don and Gretchen Fraser were truly remarkable people who reached out and touched many lives. This exhibit remembers them for their commitment to the development and enjoyment of winter sports, their sponsorship and training for young athletes, their advocacy of the physically challenged, and their unwavering support of the Special Olympics.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY IN IDAHO :

Ernest Hemingway left a lasting legacy in the Wood River Valley. This exhibit gives a glimpse into the life of Hemingway in Idaho from the time he first arrived at the Sun Valley Lodge with Martha Gellhorn in September of 1939 to his tragic death in 1961.

He is buried in the Ketchum Cemetery.