Idaho

Union Pacific Railroad's Averell Harriman had a bold vision to restore rail passenger traffic decimated by the Great Depression: create ski tourism in Idaho's remote Wood River Valley. A $1.5 million investment opened Sun Valley in December 1936 with a lavish lodge, luxury shopping, Austrian ski instructors and extensive backcountry skiing. Prestigious tournaments featured the world's best skiers. Chairlifts invented by Union Pacific engineers serviced skiers quickly and comfortably. Ski instructor and filmmaker Otto Lang recalled that seemingly overnight, it became "a magnet for the 'beautiful people,' a meeting place for movie stars and moguls, chairmen and captains of industry, Greek shipping tycoons, and peripatetic playboys--and playgirls--of the international social set." After World War II and Harriman's departure, Union Pacific's willingness to pay the $500,000 yearly subsidy waned. Bill Janss purchased it in 1964 and reimagined it as a year-round resort but lacked the capital for growth. Sinclair Oil owners Earl and Carol Holding acquired it in 1977, revitalizing it into a premier resort with international status. Award-winning ski historian John W. Lundin celebrates America's first destination ski resort using unpublished Union Pacific documents, oral histories, contemporaneous accounts and more than 150 historic images.

Few cities in the United States have been influenced by as many industries as Pocatello. Mining, agriculture, education, and the railroad--as well as the Departments of War, the Navy, Defense, and Energy--have all made lasting impressions on the "Gate City." Native Americans also played an important role in the shaping of the community's character.

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 area'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.

Fighting for Ecological Heritage

In 1992, a Hawaiian developer proposed a subdivision on Cougar Bay's northern shore, just two miles south of Coeur d'Alene. Dedicated, tenacious locals took on the seemingly impossible goal of stopping the "Cougar Beach" development. Unlikely allies--environmental activists and a cantankerous landowner--banded together. Private and public groups stepped up. In 1997, The Nature Conservancy purchased major shoreline areas and created a nature preserve. The sanctuary remained unaltered until more private land was gifted to the Bureau of Land Management and Kootenai County. After thirteen years of heroic perseverance, the Cougar Bay Nature Preserve became a reality. Idaho Wildlife Viewing Guide calls it one of the state's best wildlife viewing sites. Theresa Shaffer chronicles the battle to preserve this oasis for locals, visitors and wildlife alike.

Corruption, scandal, and injustice take center stage inWicked Boise< p>

Known today for its beauty, safety and livability, Idaho's capital city does harbor a few skeletons in its closet. Vigilantes lynched Ada County's first sheriff. A wealthy brothel owner was viciously murdered and found secretly living in squalor. The sensational Prohibition-era trial of a moonshine ring that included the sheriff, police chief and a prominent doctor extended a morality crusade by law enforcement. Mike Kirby was arrested and condemned to three years hard labor for sending a "most disgustingly worded letter'?, while others were sentenced for violating the state's infamous "crime against nature" law.

Author Janelle M. Scheffelmaier explores motive, morality, and the uncomfortable gray space between right and wrong as she unearths some of Boise's darkest moments.

Ghost stories from America's Silver Valley have never been so creepy, fun, and full of mystery!

Welcome to the spooky streets of Coeur d'Alene and the Silver Valley! Stay Alert! Ghosts lurk around every corner. Even the most unexpected places might be haunted by wandering phantoms. Did you know there is a ghost boy who welcomes guests at the Roosevelt Inn? Or that a spooky statue at Farragut State Park seems to watch you as you walk by? Can you believe that ghosts still take the stage at a theater in Wallace? Pulled right from history, these ghostly tales will change the way you see Coeur d'Alene and the Silver Valley forever, and have you sleeping with the lights on!

What do you get when you cross a read-aloud storybook with a write-in memory book? Magic moments between kids and adults! The Lucky to Live in Idaho book is the perfect tool to jump-start meaningful conversations between generations. Read-aloud rhymes set up interesting topics. Then write-in prompts invite children to record their own views to create a personal Gem State keepsake. The real gift lies in the interactive nature of the book as it offers the perfect opportunity for adults to share their own stories and wisdom about such issues as friendship, community, team spirit, and other topics that help develop a child's social and emotional skills. Customized Idaho content—from favorite local cuisine (twice-baked Idaho potato) to interesting attractions (Craters of the Moon National Monument)—provides an even more personalized experience.