10 Fun Facts About Sun Valley

From the moment she first set foot in Sun Valley, our brand's founder and designer Kim De-Vos Brooks fell in love with the resort area's unique blend of down to earth ruggedness and polished elegance. This place inspired her to create a fashion line that embodies the same organic yet refined aesthetic. 

Image Source: VintageBlue via Pixabay

Nestled in the wilderness of central Idaho, Sun Valley holds an intriguing history and an undeniable appeal. Below you'll find ten reasons to love Sun Valley, Idaho.

1. The first ski resort in the United States, Sun Valley opened on the eve of the 1936 Bavarian Winter Olympics, the first to include alpine skiing.
2. With hopes of increasing ridership on Western passenger trains, W. Averell Harriman, chairman of the Union Pacific Railroad, sought out to create a winter resort like ones he enjoyed in the Swiss Alps.
3. In 1935, he enlisted an Austrian count, Felix Schaffgotsch, to travel the West, scouting potential locations. He discovered the area that would eventually become Sun Valley after overhearing some locals mention a small mining town in Idaho called Ketchum, prompting him to check it out since he thought the word "Ketchum" had a ring to it.
4. Sun Valley boasts the world's first chairlifts, installed on Proctor and Dollar Mountains in 1936.
5. Over the years, Sun Valley has been a second home to the rich and famous, among them Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, Errol Flynn, Lucille Ball, Marilyn Monroe, and several members of the Kennedy family. More recently, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks, Demi Moore, Clint Eastwood, Bill Gates Justin Timberlake, and Mark Zuckerberg have all been associated with the area. 
6. Ernest Hemingway completed For Whom the Bell Tolls while staying in suite 206 of the Lodge in 1939. The famous author spent a significant amount of time in Sun Valley. He died in Ketchum in 1961, and was buried along with his fourth wife in a local cemetery.
7. After over seven decades, Sun Valley Lodge still appeals to an upscale crowd. The Lodge is currently undergoing a major renovation, set to debut in June of 2015. It will include 94 new guest rooms, a 20,000 square foot destination spa, a world class fitness center and yoga studio, a glass enclosed outdoor pool, and all new re-imagined restaurants, lounges, lobbies, and event spaces.
8. Sun Valley has a thriving arts community, boasting over thirty presenting organizations, most notably the nonprofit Sun Valley Center for the Arts and Humanities.
9. Ketchum, the small town one mile to the south of Sun Valley, sits at the foot of Bald Mountain, the region's biggest ski mountain,  Today, numerous galleries fill the charming western facades of this old mining center. 
10. Although best known as a ski town, Sun Valley is also not to be missed in the summertime. Surrounded by rugged mountains and teeming with cascading rivers, the gorgeous scenery offers endless opportunities for golfing, camping, hiking, fishing, and mountain biking. 

After putting this post together, I certainly have an itch to visit Sun Valley! Learn more about Sun Valley here and more about the story of Sun Valley Alpaca Co. here.