Wood River Museum of History + Culture - Community Library
Source: https://comlib.org/museum
Archived: 2026-04-23 15:30
Wood River Museum of History + Culture - Community Library
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Wood River Museum of History + Culture
Upcoming Museum Programs
Apr
23
Regional History
History Half Hour at the Museum
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM
|
Wood River Museum of History and Culture
Apr
29
Regional History
Camas Is Our Story: Shoshone‑Bannock Kinship, History, and the Restoration of Yampadai (Camas Prairie)
5:30 PM – 6:45 PM
|
John A. and Carole O. Moran Lecture Hall
Apr
30
Regional History
History Half Hour at the Museum
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM
|
Wood River Museum of History and Culture
May
06
Regional History
The Yankee Fork: Idaho’s Centennial Park with Tom Blanchard
5:30 PM – 6:45 PM
|
John A. and Carole O. Moran Lecture Hall
Regional History
History Half Hour at the Museum
Apr 23
|
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM
|
Wood River Museum of History and Culture
How, When, and Where to Find Us
Wood River Museum of History and Culture
580 Fourth Street East, Suite 130, Ketchum, Idaho 83340
Entry to the Museum is FREE.
Open: Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
208-726-8118
Email us here.
Sunday
closed
Monday
closed
Tuesday
10:00am - 6:00pm
Wednesday
10:00am - 6:00pm
Thursday
10:00am - 6:00pm
Friday
10:00am - 6:00pm
Saturday
10:00am - 6:00pm
Online Collections Database
Find information and images from the Museum’s collection online. You can search, view, and download images of people, objects, and historic photographs.
Click here to get started.
Hemingway House Online Collection
The database for the Ernest and Mary Hemingway House and Preserve Collection is now available to the public. You can search or browse to see artifacts that belong to the house.
To look through the online collection click here.
All New Exhibits
All of the exhibits at the Wood River Museum include interactive elements where visitors are encouraged to write, type, talk, and remember – because we all are part of history!
More here.
Shoshone-Bannock Homelands: The Tribal Room, at the entrance to the Museum, honors the history and present-day of the Shoshone and Bannock Tribes, which have inhabited the lands of Central Idaho since time immemorial.
How in the World Did You Get to Sun Valley?: This exhibit explores the many reasons and ways that people have come to this hard-to-reach area over time. It is not easy to find Sun Valley and Central Idaho in general, here in the high desert mountains of the American West, but a wide range of people have done so…
Portrait of a Mountain: Over the past 150 years, the greater Ketchum and Sun Valley area has taken shape around, and been shaped by, the iconic Bald Mountain. This exhibit looks deeply at the mountain that defines the local landscape and affects life and imaginations here in so many ways.
The Cabinet of Wonders invites visitors to discover history by opening the doors and drawers of a fanciful cabinet that holds a great variety of regional history artifacts – from a telegraph key to vintage skis and sheep shears.
A Writer in New Country: Hemingway in 1939: This exhibit examines who Hemingway was when he arrived in 1939: a writer at his peak, a globetrotter drawn to remote places, a rugged outdoor enthusiast, and a man with complicated personal relationships.
Library Foyer Exhibit
From Paris to Hemingway’s Idaho: “Hunger Was Good Discipline”
September-December 2025:
The Community Library presents a new foyer exhibit that explores Hemingway’s time in Paris in the 1920s, and his later years in Ketchum, Idaho—where he shaped his memories into the pages of
A Moveable Feast
.
Two periods stand out in Hemingway’s life: his early years in Paris and his later years in Ketchum. In Paris, he kept disciplined writing routines and built friendships that sharpened his craft. In Ketchum, as he approached his sixth decade, he found quiet in the mountains and spent time with close friends, often thinking back to his Paris years. On display are pieces from both worlds: objects surrounding him as he worked on
A Moveable Feast,
and items from the Paris he was recreating on the page. Together, they link places and moments, revealing the larger story of how Hemingway lived, worked, and remembered.
Past Exhibits
2014-2022: Inspired exhibits began rotating and covered topics such as ski history, Ernest Hemingway in Idaho, the history of sheep ranching, ice skating in Sun Valley, and the documentation of cultural change.
See more here.
Leading the Way
Our Team
Director of Regional History Mary Tyson, Regional History Librarian Liam Guthrie, Museum Community Engagement Manager Kristine Bretall, and Museum Collections Specialist Ellie Norman.
Our History
In 2014, The Community Library Association in Ketchum, Idaho assumed operation of the museum known formerly as the Ski and Heritage Museums.
More here.
Our Collections
The Wood River Museum is a collecting museum and showcases exhibits for the public about central Idaho. The Museum’s collection and programming is designed to promote a greater sense of place.
A Note from the Executive Director
The richness and resilience of a community depends on its capacity to tend and tell its many stories. That is the goal of The Community Library, and that is the goal of the Wood River Museum of History and Culture. Ten years ago, the Library became the custodian of the Ketchum and Sun Valley Ski and Heritage Museum, because it aligned with the work of the Library’s Center for Regional History, and because the Library offered a solid foundation for ongoing historic preservation and exhibition. Now the Library is amplifying that work, presenting the Museum in a new location with new infrastructure and a new name. The message is: History matters here; it is nuanced and ongoing; and we all are part of it.
~ Jenny Emery Davidson
Primary Sidebar
Use the Library
Books, eBook, and More
Special Collections
Arion Press Collection
Audubon Prints
The Cook Book
Dollhouse Collection
Silversmith Shop
Digital Collections
Children’s and Young Adult Library
Book Beat
Bookmobile
Middle Grade Book Club
Preschool Summer Reading 2025
Kids Summer Reading 2025
Teens Summer Reading 2025
Research and Learn
Research and Learn Databases
Computers and Printing
Ask a Librarian
Regional History Research Request
Center for Regional History
Research/Reading Room
Sun Valley Winter Sports Hall of Fame
Hemingway in Idaho
Historic Photographs
Wood River Museum of History + Culture
Reserve a Room
Library Policies
Frequently Asked Questions
Support the Library
The Community Library’s free resources and services reflect the generosity of community members like you!
Donate
Gold Mine Stores
Volunteer
Skip to primary navigation
Skip to main content
Skip to primary sidebar
Wood River Museum of History + Culture
Upcoming Museum Programs
Apr
23
Regional History
History Half Hour at the Museum
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM
|
Wood River Museum of History and Culture
Apr
29
Regional History
Camas Is Our Story: Shoshone‑Bannock Kinship, History, and the Restoration of Yampadai (Camas Prairie)
5:30 PM – 6:45 PM
|
John A. and Carole O. Moran Lecture Hall
Apr
30
Regional History
History Half Hour at the Museum
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM
|
Wood River Museum of History and Culture
May
06
Regional History
The Yankee Fork: Idaho’s Centennial Park with Tom Blanchard
5:30 PM – 6:45 PM
|
John A. and Carole O. Moran Lecture Hall
Regional History
History Half Hour at the Museum
Apr 23
|
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM
|
Wood River Museum of History and Culture
How, When, and Where to Find Us
Wood River Museum of History and Culture
580 Fourth Street East, Suite 130, Ketchum, Idaho 83340
Entry to the Museum is FREE.
Open: Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
208-726-8118
Email us here.
Sunday
closed
Monday
closed
Tuesday
10:00am - 6:00pm
Wednesday
10:00am - 6:00pm
Thursday
10:00am - 6:00pm
Friday
10:00am - 6:00pm
Saturday
10:00am - 6:00pm
Online Collections Database
Find information and images from the Museum’s collection online. You can search, view, and download images of people, objects, and historic photographs.
Click here to get started.
Hemingway House Online Collection
The database for the Ernest and Mary Hemingway House and Preserve Collection is now available to the public. You can search or browse to see artifacts that belong to the house.
To look through the online collection click here.
All New Exhibits
All of the exhibits at the Wood River Museum include interactive elements where visitors are encouraged to write, type, talk, and remember – because we all are part of history!
More here.
Shoshone-Bannock Homelands: The Tribal Room, at the entrance to the Museum, honors the history and present-day of the Shoshone and Bannock Tribes, which have inhabited the lands of Central Idaho since time immemorial.
How in the World Did You Get to Sun Valley?: This exhibit explores the many reasons and ways that people have come to this hard-to-reach area over time. It is not easy to find Sun Valley and Central Idaho in general, here in the high desert mountains of the American West, but a wide range of people have done so…
Portrait of a Mountain: Over the past 150 years, the greater Ketchum and Sun Valley area has taken shape around, and been shaped by, the iconic Bald Mountain. This exhibit looks deeply at the mountain that defines the local landscape and affects life and imaginations here in so many ways.
The Cabinet of Wonders invites visitors to discover history by opening the doors and drawers of a fanciful cabinet that holds a great variety of regional history artifacts – from a telegraph key to vintage skis and sheep shears.
A Writer in New Country: Hemingway in 1939: This exhibit examines who Hemingway was when he arrived in 1939: a writer at his peak, a globetrotter drawn to remote places, a rugged outdoor enthusiast, and a man with complicated personal relationships.
Library Foyer Exhibit
From Paris to Hemingway’s Idaho: “Hunger Was Good Discipline”
September-December 2025:
The Community Library presents a new foyer exhibit that explores Hemingway’s time in Paris in the 1920s, and his later years in Ketchum, Idaho—where he shaped his memories into the pages of
A Moveable Feast
.
Two periods stand out in Hemingway’s life: his early years in Paris and his later years in Ketchum. In Paris, he kept disciplined writing routines and built friendships that sharpened his craft. In Ketchum, as he approached his sixth decade, he found quiet in the mountains and spent time with close friends, often thinking back to his Paris years. On display are pieces from both worlds: objects surrounding him as he worked on
A Moveable Feast,
and items from the Paris he was recreating on the page. Together, they link places and moments, revealing the larger story of how Hemingway lived, worked, and remembered.
Past Exhibits
2014-2022: Inspired exhibits began rotating and covered topics such as ski history, Ernest Hemingway in Idaho, the history of sheep ranching, ice skating in Sun Valley, and the documentation of cultural change.
See more here.
Leading the Way
Our Team
Director of Regional History Mary Tyson, Regional History Librarian Liam Guthrie, Museum Community Engagement Manager Kristine Bretall, and Museum Collections Specialist Ellie Norman.
Our History
In 2014, The Community Library Association in Ketchum, Idaho assumed operation of the museum known formerly as the Ski and Heritage Museums.
More here.
Our Collections
The Wood River Museum is a collecting museum and showcases exhibits for the public about central Idaho. The Museum’s collection and programming is designed to promote a greater sense of place.
A Note from the Executive Director
The richness and resilience of a community depends on its capacity to tend and tell its many stories. That is the goal of The Community Library, and that is the goal of the Wood River Museum of History and Culture. Ten years ago, the Library became the custodian of the Ketchum and Sun Valley Ski and Heritage Museum, because it aligned with the work of the Library’s Center for Regional History, and because the Library offered a solid foundation for ongoing historic preservation and exhibition. Now the Library is amplifying that work, presenting the Museum in a new location with new infrastructure and a new name. The message is: History matters here; it is nuanced and ongoing; and we all are part of it.
~ Jenny Emery Davidson
Primary Sidebar
Use the Library
Books, eBook, and More
Special Collections
Arion Press Collection
Audubon Prints
The Cook Book
Dollhouse Collection
Silversmith Shop
Digital Collections
Children’s and Young Adult Library
Book Beat
Bookmobile
Middle Grade Book Club
Preschool Summer Reading 2025
Kids Summer Reading 2025
Teens Summer Reading 2025
Research and Learn
Research and Learn Databases
Computers and Printing
Ask a Librarian
Regional History Research Request
Center for Regional History
Research/Reading Room
Sun Valley Winter Sports Hall of Fame
Hemingway in Idaho
Historic Photographs
Wood River Museum of History + Culture
Reserve a Room
Library Policies
Frequently Asked Questions
Support the Library
The Community Library’s free resources and services reflect the generosity of community members like you!
Donate
Gold Mine Stores
Volunteer