Water from deep snow that falls on high mountain ridges north of here is stored each Spring in this reservoir to irrigate farm land near Shoshone and Richfield.
Big Wood River flows past some hills that separate this valley from a broad plain . . . — — Map (db m110116) HM
(Five panels in the kiosk deal with the history of Goodale's Cutoff and the surrounding area)
Idaho's Emigrant Trails
Westward-bound emigrants entered Idaho after crossing Thomas Fork Valley. They soon encountered the climb . . . — — Map (db m110138) HM
Rich strikes in 1879 led to a rush in the lead and silver mines of this valley. The famous Minnie Moore Mine alone produced a total of $8.4 million worth of ore.
Mining quickly brought a railroad and prosperity. The Ketchum smelter pioneered . . . — — Map (db m110115) HM
An old emigrant road headed west across Camas Prairie and then descended to the valley below on its way to rejoin the Oregon Trail 28 miles west of here.
This route, discovered by Donald Mackenzie's fur trade party in 1820, came into use for . . . — — Map (db m125602) HM
As the pioneers passed through this parched landscape they were happy to find any available water.
Most water is soaked up like a giant sponge when it reaches the lava fields, but here, small creeks to the north cover the porous lava rock with a . . . — — Map (db m109897) HM
The original building on this site, called the Bullion Block, was constructed in 1882. It was at this time that Hailey became the county seat of Alturas County after a bitterly fought election with Bellevue, and the existing county seat, Rocky Bar. . . . — — Map (db m110109) HM
J.C. Fox, the original owner of the building and one of Hailey's founders, had it erected in 1920 after operating a general store three doors up the street for almost forty years. He served as mayor for two years and was vice-president of the Hailey . . . — — Map (db m110113) HM
The J.J. Tracy Building was built as a drug store in 1906 by John J. Tracy. Already a pharmacist at the age of twenty-two, Tracy migrated to the West, spending three months in Kelton, Utah where he met William T. Riley, an entrepreneur and early . . . — — Map (db m110111) HM
In 1934, Julio Astoriquia and his wife Maria Astoriquia invested their hard-saved money to buy two lots on Main Street in Hailey for construction of a hotel. Julio emigrated from the Basque region of Spain to the United States in 1913. He worked as . . . — — Map (db m110114) HM
The Watt Building is connected in local memory with W.H. Watt, who had the building erected as a bank. An 1889 fire that demolished the business district of Hailey left few buildings still standing. The rear portion of the building, which may date . . . — — Map (db m110108) HM
Searching the mountain wilderness for beaver, Alexander Ross came up Wood River and discovered this summit, Sept. 18, 1824.
Leading a large brigade of Hudson's Bay Company trappers, he wondered whether he ever could get through unknown . . . — — Map (db m110051) HM
After Warren P. Callahan located a rich lead-silver mine here, April 26, 1876, thousands of eager treasure-hunters joined in a rush to Wood River in 1880
Successful prosectors discovered valuable lodes from here to Bellevue. Galena has a . . . — — Map (db m110052) HM
Pioneering explorer Alexander Ross visited the valley in search of beaver in 1821. The Hudson's Bay Company reported the area as "promising." Ketchum's short mining era began in 1879, after the Sheepeater War and the relocation of the Native . . . — — Map (db m110105) HM
Rising as a small stream in the valley to the south, the Salmon winds 420 miles across Idaho before flowing into Snake River.
Discovered in 1895 by Lewis and Clark, and explored with great difficulty by fur traders and prospectors, the . . . — — Map (db m110050) HM
Gold discoveries on Beaver Creek in 1879 led to mining activity near here that summer, but major production was delayed until 1886.
By 1885, Sawtooth City had three saloons, two restaurants, a meat market, a store, a Chinese laundry, and . . . — — Map (db m110045) HM
When Sun Valley Lodge was built in 1936, Union Pacific engineers developed chair lifts to transport skiers uphill.
Starting with two modest ski slopes on Dollar Mountain and Proctor Mountain, chair lifts were used for all Sun Valley ski . . . — — Map (db m110054) HM
The First Congregational Church of Ketchum, Idaho was built in 1884 during expansion of the Church across America. By the late 1840's, Christian abolitionists gained strength in the struggle against slavery. Unwilling to remain in the union of . . . — — Map (db m110106) HM
Horace Lewis began the "Ketchum Fast Freight Line" soon after the town was founded on August 2, 1880. The first load of ore was carried from the Elkhorn mine to the railroad at Kelton, Utah. These monstrous wagons with six-foot wheels known as "The . . . — — Map (db m110104) HM
Levi Smiley found gold on Smiley Creek in 1878, and E.M. Wilson discovered a still richer lode 8 miles above here near Vienna, on June 4, 1879.
Before shutting down in 1886, Vienna was a thriving mining camp with a $200,000 twenty-stamp . . . — — Map (db m110048) HM