Sun Valley and Ketchum are in Idaho's Wood River Valley, gateway to
backcountry and wilderness areas. Settlers first arrived in the early
1880s, attracted by a silver rush. In 1883, the railroad connected the
valley to the world beyond its borders and brought in outside capital.
During the silver depression of the 1890s, mining was replaced by sheep
raising, and the area later shipped more sheep than anywhere except
Australia. In 1936, during the Great Depression, Union Pacific board
chairman Averell Harriman built Sun Valley, the country's first
destination ski resort, spending $2.5 million in two years ($45 million
today). Sun Valley offered a lavish lifestyle, a luxurious lodge,
Austrian ski instructors, and chairlifts invented by Union Pacific
engineers. Known as America's St. Moritz, it was a magnet for beautiful
people and serious skiers. It had a monopoly on grandeur for decades and
influenced ski areas that developed later. Subsequent owners Bill Janss
and the Holding family expanded and improved Sun Valley, making it one
of the world's premier year-round resorts.