Sun Valley was something of a Hollywood concoction: In 1936, the owners of the Union Pacific Railroad wanted to boost traffic along some of the more remote corridors, so they hired a cash-poor Count by the name of Felix Schaffgtosch to scout out a place to build a glamorous ski resort.
Once they settled on a spot in the Sawtooth Mountains, the railroad men hired promotor Steve Hannigan, who’d helped lure the rich and famous to Miami Beach, to do the same for this snowy little speck on the map. They christened it Sun Valley to dispel fears among the hothouse flowers of Hollywood that it would be too cold to vacation there. Because, you know, if you put “sun” in the name, no one will notice the blizzards. Imagine their suprise when some stars actually took to the wintry weather!
Click on each photo to get more information about the photos on the wall at Rentierøhle.
