 Sun Valley History and Sun Valley Community Information
Like the Phoenix Bird, the area of Ketchum and Sun Valley has risen from the ashes and had many reincarnations through its long history.Ketchum, Idaho was first settled around 1880 when miners came to town to mine the gold and silver that was discovered after the end of the Bannock Indian Wars in 1877. The boom that followed the discovery of precious metals in the vicinity of Sun Valley was characterized by an increase in the population. There were approximately 2,000 residents in the mid 1880's.
After the mining boom came to an end in the late 1890's, Ketchum once again prospered and this time as a center for the sheep industry. Ketchum quickly became the largest sheep shipping center in the country. Sheep replaced the precious metals as the major export of the Wood River Valley area.
After the Great Depression added pressure to create more railway traffic to the west and after the Lake Placid Winter Olympics of 1932 increased demand for skiing, the search for optimal skiing conditions for alpine skiing began in earnest. However, it wasn't until after 1936 that Sun Valley gained world recognition as the premier skiing destination. This was when Averell Harriman, then chairman of the Union Pacific Railroad, brought Count Felix Schaffgotch over from Austria to find a place that would be equal to or better to ski than Switzerland's St. Moritz. After searching for weeks through the Rocky Mountains and all over the mountainous regions of Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and California and finding nothing to compare, he took a remote spur of the Union Pacific Railroad to Ketchum, Idaho and the rest as they say is history. Sun Valley was created and considered at the time to be the most glamorous ski resort in the country or possibly anywhere else in the world. With over 3,000 feet of continuous constant vertical pitch, many consider Baldy to be the most perfect ski mountain in the world.
Though Sun Valley started out one of its later reincarnations as a ski resort for the rich and famous, today it has grown to become a destination resort for many other summer and winter sports and recreational activities. Among the most popular of these are golfing, ice skating, mountain and road biking, Nordic skiing, white water rafting, hiking, hunting, fishing, equestrian sports and many more. There are virtually all kinds of summer and winter sports into which you can immerse yourself. Not only has Sun Valley become a sports destination, it has transformed into a growing center for the arts, symphony, health and wellness too.
Sun Valley Homes and Sun Valley Living
 There is something for nearly everyone in Sun Valley. It is a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family. Come to relocate, come to retire or just come to recreate. Please contact Suzanne Hausner at your earliest convenience to find out more about living in Sun Valley and the surrounding area. Reach her by phone at (208) 720-2147 or by email at shausner1@aol.com. Glance through Sun Valley homes and real estate in her featured listings and the MLS now and discuss your many options with Suzanne.
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Suzanne Hausner
Sun Valley Real Estate Agent
Serving Ketchum, Sun Valley, Elkhorn, Bellevue, Mid-Valley
Windermere Sun Valley
P.O. Box 1908
Direct Phone: (208) 720-2147
E-Mail: shausner1@aol.com
GRI, CNE, RSPS, SFR
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