As part of the Wagon Days celebration, lawyer, author, and historian John W. Lundin will present a fascinating talk on the Wood River Valley’s mining heritage and how it paved the way for the creation of Sun Valley Resort America’s first destination ski resort.
Mining began in the Valley in the 1880s with the discovery of Galena ore, sparking a silver rush that led to booming towns and major industrial development, including the Philadelphia Smelter and the Union Pacific Railroad branch line. By the mid-1880s, the region had become one of the country’s largest silver producers. When mining declined, the sheep industry sustained the local economy and the railroad, keeping the Valley connected. Then, in the 1930s, Averell Harriman of Union Pacific repurposed the existing rail line to Ketchum to launch a new kind of industry: skiing. The result was Sun Valley Resort, opened in 1936 and quickly dubbed “America’s St. Moritz.” Lundin’s talk will trace this evolution from mining and freight wagons to chairlifts and luxury lodges, revealing how the Valley’s industrial past laid the groundwork for a recreational future that changed American skiing forever.
Registration recommended to attend in person.