Arco was the first community in the world ever to be lit by electricity generated by nuclear power. This occurred on July 17, 1955, powered by a reactor (see BORAX experiments) at the nearby "National Reactor Testing Station" (NRTS), which is now the Idaho National Laboratory. NRTS made further history on January 3, 1961, when the SL-1 reactor melted down, causing three deaths. It was the world's first (and the U.S.' only) fatal reactor accident.
Craters of the Moon national park.
Ashton
Bills itself as the world's largest seed potato growing area.
World famous American Dog Derby.
Blackfoot
Blackfoot is designated the "Potato Capital of the World", because it has the largest potato industry in the world. It is home to the Idaho Potato Museum (a museum and gift shop that displays and explains the history of Idaho's potato industry), which is home to the world's largest baked potato and potato chip.
Blackfoot, ID is mentioned in the song When Cowboys Didn't Dance by Lonestar as the destination of a cattle drive.
Bonners Ferry
On September 20, 1975, the Kootenai Tribe, headed by chairwoman Amy Trice, declared war on the United States government. Their first act was to post soldiers on each end of the highway that runs through the town and they forced people, at gunpoint, to pay a toll to drive through what had been the tribe’s aboriginal land. The money would be used to house and care for elderly tribal members. Most tribes in the United States are forbidden to declare war on the U.S. government because of treaties, but the Kootenai Tribe never signed a treaty. The dispute resulted in the concession by the United States government and a land grant of 10.5 acres (42,000 m2) that is now the Kootenai Reservation.
Bonners Ferry is eight miles (13 km) from the site of the Ruby Ridge confrontation and siege in 1992.
Notable natives
Claire Du Brey, silent film actress
Bovill
Bovill in literature In a 2009 update of an originally published 1998 novel, Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse, a handful of Midwestern people relocate from Chicago to a retreat near Bovill due to hyperinflation and subsequent economic collapse of the United States
Buhl
Known as the "Trout Capital of the World," Buhl boasts numerous hatcheries in the immediate surrounding area, which produce most of the rainbow trout consumed in the United States.
Clear Springs Foods, located just north of Buhl, processes over 20 million pounds of rainbow trout each year, making it the world's largest producer.[
Burley
Burley is home to the famed "Spudman" Triathlon.
Notable People
John V. Evans - D. L. Evans Bank president and former Governor of Idaho
Gary Peacock - Jazz bassist
Mike Simpson - One of the Idahoans in the United States House of Representatives
Henry C. Dworshak - U.S. Senator from Idaho from 1949 to his death in 1962
NiCole Robinson - Stand-up comedian and actress who played Margaret Hooper on the TV show The West Wing
Clifton
Harold B. Lee, eleventh president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was born in Clifton on March 28, 1899.
Cottonwood
West of the city is St. Gertrude's Convent, begun in the early 1900s. The order of Benedictine nuns traces their history to twelfth century Switzerland. The chapel at St. Gertrude's is among the most ornate in the state
Council
Notable People
Larry Craig, US Senator
Harriet Miller, American politician James Rainwater, Physicist, Nobel laureate
World's Largest Potato Processing Plant
Declo
The world's largest potato processing company was founded in 1923 near Declo by a 14-year-old entrepreneur named J.R. Simplot.
Driggs
National Geographic magazine listed Driggs as one of the 10 best outdoor recreation destinations in the U.S
Dubois
Six miles (10 km) north of town is the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station
Eagle
Each year, during the Eagle Fun Days festival, the Eagle Volunteer fire department puts on the "World's Largest Rocky Mountain Oyster (bull testicles) Feed" as a fund raiser for the organizatio
The 2008 NBC reality television show The Baby Borrowers was filmed in Eagle.
Notable People
musicians from Eagle include Eva Renada, Paper Tron, Trashing Andi and Eleven.
George Kennedy, Academy Award–winning actor
Jeb Putzier, NFL tight end for the Seattle Seahawks
Kimberly Glyn Weible, Miss Idaho USA 2004, and Miss Teen Idaho USA 1999
Derek Schouman, NFL tight end for the Buffalo Bills
Larry Craig, former U.S. Senator from Idaho
Franklin
Franklin is the first permanent European settlement in present-day Idaho
Franklin is the location of a portion of the filming of the movie Napoleon Dynamite. The chicken farm scenes of the movie were filmed on Ritewood Egg Farms property, and the supervisor's character is loosely based on Marlow Woodward, a late Franklin resident and son of the farm's founder
Gooding
Gooding is home to the Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind.
The world's largest factory for barrel cheese, the raw product for processed cheese, is located in Gooding. It has a capacity of 120,000 metric tons per year of barrel cheese and belongs to the Glanbia group
Grangeville
Grangeville's "Border Days" is a large public celebration on the weekend of July 4 (Independence Day), which features the state's oldest rodeo as well as parades, art shows, and dances.
Greenleaf
In 2006, Greenleaf's town council considered passing an ordinance recommending each head of household to keep at least one gun. The ordinance drew national attention, including a mention by Tonight Show host Jay Leno and Comedy Central's news satire The Daily Show. The law is modeled on a 1982 law passed in the town of Kennesaw, Georgia. The ordinance was approved on November 14, 2006.
Hailey
Hailey is the current home of retired tennis professional Mats Wilander.
Hollywood actors (and former couple) Bruce Willis and Demi Moore also have homes in the town.
The poet Ezra Pound was born there in 1885.
Dalai Lama In 2005, the Dalai Lama spoke to over 20,000 people at the Wood River High School stadium to begin his tour of the United States. His speech, which commemorated the September 11 attacks, was broadcast live on CNN.
Notable people
Laverne Fator, U.S. Racing Hall of Fame jockey
Ezra Pound, poet
Mats Wilander, tennis player
Rumer Willis, actress
Bowe Bergdahl, United States Army soldier captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan
Hayden Lake
From the 1970s until 2001, the Aryan Nations had its headquarters in a 20 acre (81,000 m²) compound at Hayden Lake. In September 2000 the Southern Poverty Law Center won a $6.3 million judgment against the Aryan Nations from an Idaho jury who awarded punitive and compensatory damages to Victoria Keenan and her son, Jason, who were attacked by Aryan Nations guards in 1999.[3] Bullets struck the Keenan's car several times then the car crashed and an Aryan member held the Keenans at gunpoint.[4] As a result of the judgment, Richard Butler turned over the 20-acre compound to the Keenans, who then sold the property to a philanthropist, who subsequently donated it to North Idaho College, which designated the land as a "peace park
Hope
The town is mentioned in the 2009 video game Prototype as a town who the government used to test a virus. The virus mutated and killed the entire population except one survivor who traveled to New York City.
Jerome
Notable People
Ken Dayley, pitcher in major league baseball, was born here.
William Royer, United States House of Representatives, was born in Jerome.
Nikki Sixx, the bassist for the rock band Mötley Crüe, lived in Jerome.
Kellog
Sunshine Mine In May 1972, the Sunshine Mine of Kellogg was the site of one of the worst U.S. mining accidents, resulting in the deaths of 91 miners; as a result, every miner in the U.S. now carries a "self-rescuer" (a breathing apparatus made with hopcalite and much simpler than a SCBA), which gives the miner a chance to avoid death due to carbon monoxide poisoning. Eight days after the fire started, two men emerged from the mine. They were found on the 4800 ft (1463 m) level of the mine near a fresh air source. All others trapped in the mine had died. Sunshine Mine remained open until February 16, 2001, producing 360 million troy ounces (11,000,000 kg) of silver. As of 2005[update] Sterling Mining has plans to continue exploration and development of the mine, exercising an option the company purchased in 2003.
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway's Grave
Ketchum
After the development of Sun Valley in 1936, the city became popular with celebrities, including Gary Cooper and Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway loved Ketchum and the surrounding area, fished, hunted and lived in the valley. It was in Ketchum that Ernest Hemingway took his own life; he and his granddaughter, model and actress Margaux Hemingway, are buried in the Ketchum Cemetery.
Singer Ben Lee wrote a song dedicated to Ketchum which appears on his album Something to Remember Me By.
Notable residents
Bowe Bergdahl, United States Army soldier captured by the Taliban
Dick Fosbury - 1968 Olympic gold medalist in the high jump
Ernest Hemingway - author - buried in the Ketchum cemetery.
Tim Ryan - network sportscaster
Ann Sothern - Academy Award–nominated American film and television actress
Adam West - television actor on Batman
Van Williams - television actor on The Green Hornet
Steve Miller - Musician who started The Steve Miller Band
Kuna
Culture
The Snake River Birds of Prey Festival is held every year in mid-May. Taking advantage of the nearby Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, which holds North America's densest population of nesting raptors, it offers lectures and tours about raptors, as well as about local history.
Notable People
Bernard Fisher; Bernie to his friends. In January 1967, Major, U.S. Air Force, 1st Air Commandos was awarded the Medal of Honor "For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty" (official citation). An accomplished pilot, he risked his life to save a fellow airman during Vietnam at A Shau. The Idaho Military Historical Society notes, "He could make his A-1E (plane) do the waltz, which is just what he did that day in far off Southeast Asia. There's no other way to explain how he danced it down that beat up airstrip, off into the wild blue."
Lapwai
It is the seat of government of the Nez Perce Indian Reservation
Notable People
Lillian Disney, wife of Walt Disney
Lava Hot Springs
The city has become popular resort location, noted for its numerous hot springs amenable to bathing.
Lewisville
It is the home of Idahoan Foods, makers of instant mashed potatoes.
McCall
Nicknamed "Ski Town U.S.A.", McCall is the home to many past winter Olympic athletes.
The beauty of McCall and Payette Lake drew attention from Hollywood in 1938 when it was selected as the filming location for the Academy Award-nominated Northwest Passage, starring Spencer Tracy, Robert Young, and Walter Brennan. The film, released in 1940, was about the French and Indian War of 1755-63 in eastern North America
Ponderosa State Park and the community of McCall hosted the 2008 Masters World Cup.
The Harshman skateboard park is Idaho's largest. The park was commemorated in August 2006 by Tony Hawk.
Notable People
Helen Markley Miller, writer of historical and biographical fiction for children about the Western United States[7][8]
Mack Miller, Olympic cross-country skier and trainer
Barbara Morgan, first teacher in space
Torrie Wilson, former WWE divaMacKay
The main athletic attraction in the city is Mackay High School. The Miners have won ten state championships in football in the 1A (previously A-4) division and five state championships in basketball
Malad City
Malad City received national news coverage when a corporate jet carrying eight people including four Coca-Cola executives crashed January 15, 1996 killing all onboard [2]. The large twin-engine turbo-prop was flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Pocatello, Idaho for a Coca- Cola sales meeting. The Mitsubishi MU-2 aircraft crashed and burned at the base of a canyon 8 miles northwest of Malad. According to the National Transportation Safety Board in its published SEA96MA043 Accident Report, the cause of the accident was listed as ice on the wings.
Towards the end of 2003, a nationwide influenza outbreak occurred. Malad was likely the hardest hit community in the nation. So many people became ill during the first part of December, 2003 that the city was virtually shut down. The entire school district in Malad was closed for three days in an effort to keep students from spreading the ailment. Roughly a third of the students became ill. Church services and Christmas festivities were also cancelled.[citation needed]
Malad City has the oldest department store in the state of Idaho. Evans Co-op opened in 1865 and is still in business today.
Malad City also has the longest running weekly newspaper in Idaho, called "The Idaho Enterprise" which published its first issue on June 6, 1879
Notable People
Billy Barty - actor
John V. Evans - Idaho State Senator, including Majority and Minority Leader positions, and Governor of Idaho
Ralph R. Harding - State and U.S. Representative
William Marion Jardine - United States Secretary of Agriculture, United States Ambassador to Egypt Olive
Davis Osmond - mother of the Osmonds
Darwin Thomas - Idaho Supreme Court Justice
Sonia Johnson - writer and activist
The short film Peluca, the work of Jared Hess and the precursor film to the hit Napoleon Dynamite, mentions Malad.
The antagonist, Seth, is played by Jon Heder and tells his friends that he has an FFA competition in "Ma-lawd" the following morning. Peluca and Napoleon Dynamite were both filmed in neighboring Franklin County, Idaho and reference much of the surrounding area in their film.
Melba Renee Tenison - Playboy Playmate of the Year - 1980
Middleton
The Ward Massacre occurred near the site in 1854
Midvale
Midvale is the hometown of former U.S. Senator, Larry Craig.
Montpelier
In 1896 Montpelier was the site of a bank heist by Butch Cassidy, members of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch Elzy Lay and Bob Meeks who were supposedly trying to get enough money to bail out fellow gang member Matt Warner. This historical footnote has become a significant component of the town's identity and is commemorated by a plaque on Washington Street
Moscow
The city's name was immortalized by the band Cassandra Complex with their song "Moscow, Idaho". The song was later covered by German gothic band Forthcoming Fire
Mountain Home
Notable People
Victor Wooten - Musician
Ford Rainey - Actor
Richard McKenna - Novelist - "The Sand Pebbles"
New Plymouth
Boulevard The Boulevard is the main residential area and the original setting of the town. There are many unique things about the boulevard. First, it is in the shape of a horseshoe with a large park down the middle. Also, a system of ditches parallel the roads and drain into the canal, giving each landowner who pays for a share access to irrigation water. This comes from the days when farming was intended to be done inside the city. It is now used for gardening or watering the lawn. It also now includes a frisbee golf course along the west side
Oakley has become recognized world-wide for its Middle Mountain quarries of Rocky Mountain quartzite building stone known as Oakley Stone. Quarry operators ship out thousand of tons a month to locations around the globe.
Oakley
Notable People
David B. Haight, former member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was born in Oakley.
The current Governor of Utah, and the former Governor of Massachusetts can trace their stock to Oakley.
Governor Jon Huntsman of Utah is the grandson of David B. Haight, above, and Mitt Romney, 2008 U.S. Presidential Contender of Massachusetts is the son of another famous Oakley-ite, George Romney. Yet another Oakley Romney, Marion G. Romney, was a Councillor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Oakley is also rich in old west lore, such as the tale of Diamondfield Jack, and another story of intrigue, the story of Gobo Fango[1].
The town is also home to current Idaho's Assistant House Majority Leader Scott Bedke.
Orofino
Nearby is the historical "Canoe Camp," where the Lewis and Clark expedition built five new dugout canoes and embarked on October 7, 1805, downstream to the Pacific Ocean
Just 4 miles (6.4 km) north of town is the Dworshak National Fish Hatchery and the Dworshak Dam, third highest dam in the United States, completed in the early 1970s.
Oxford
It is the location Harold B. Lee, a future president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, taught school.
It is also the location where Jefferson Hunt, a Mormon colonist died. Hunt is buried just behind the hill off the highway at Red Rock Pass
Paris
Paris sports an impressive landmark for a city of its size: the LDS Bear Lake Stake Tabernacle, a sandstone church built by the pioneers in 1889. It seats around 2000 people, nearly four times the population of the city.
Parma
Notable People
C. Ben Ross — first native born Governor of Idaho.
Harmon Killebrew, member of the Baseball Hall of Fame
James A. McClure, U.S. Senator from Idaho, 1973-1991.
Herman Welker, U.S. Senator from Idaho, 1951–1957
Potlach
Notable People
Guyle Fielder - former NHL player
Pat Shea - former NHL player
Preston
The Bear River Massacre occurred in 1863 at a point a few miles northwest of Preston. The Bear River Massacre Site is a National Historic Landmark
Napoleon Dynamite - Much of the 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite was shot in the city of Preston, including at Preston High School, located several blocks from U.S. Highway 91. Several area landmarks can be seen throughout the film. Preston is the home of the film's creators, Jared and Jerusha Hess, Preston being where Jared went to high school. Festival For several years, the city held a "Napoleon Dynamite Festival" in the summer. Many of the events that the festival featured related to movie-themed events; such as: Tetherball Tournament, Tater Tot Eating Contest, Moon Boot Dance, Impersonation, Look-A-Like Contest, Football Throwing Contest, and more. In 2004 there was a single day event that drew an approximate 300 people. Although this was not a large crowd drawing event, it did help raise $1,500 for the Preston School District Education Foundation. In 2005 an estimated 6,000 people attended the event, but that number dropped to an estimated 400 in 2006. The 2007 and 2008 event was held along with the 'That Famous Preston Night Rodeo' in Preston, but there are no future plans for the event.
Rexburg
Rexburg has been referred to as the "reddest place in America,"[4] owing to the area's strong conservative majority and political trends. Since 1980 no Republican presidential candidate has failed to carry the county with less than 59 percent of the vote. In that same period Republican presidential candidates polled more than 90 percent of the county's vote on two occasions, Ronald Reagan in 1984[5] and George W. Bush in 2004.[6] John McCain came close to this level in 2008, drawing 85 percent of the vote.[7]
Rexburg obtained the national news spotlight with reports of a busload of children chanting "Assassinate Obama" following the election of Barack Obama in November 2008. The mayor apologized for the children's behavior.[8] News websites on the internet ran stories featuring video of the school buses on which students chanted their wishes that the president-elect be killed
Rexburg was severely damaged by the Teton Dam Flood of June 1976. The Teton River flows through northern Rexburg, and left most of the city underwater for several days after the Teton Dam ruptured. The recovery was quickened due to the cooperation of the people within the community. A museum dedicated to the Teton Dam Flood and the history of Rexburg and the area, located in the basement of the Rexburg Tabernacle, has been a major city landmark for decades
Rexburg is home to Brigham Young University-Idaho, a private institution operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The school's alumni include two-time Olympic medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling (gold in 2000) Rulon Gardner and MLB pitcher for the Houston Astros, Matt Lindstrom.[29][30] Another alumnus is former counselor in the LDS Church's First Presidency Marion G. Romney, who was valedictorian of the Ricks Academy class of 1918.
Notable People
Matt Lindstrom, Major League Baseball pitcher for the Florida Marlins
Clayton Mortensen, Major League Baseball pitcher for the Oakland Athletics
Wayne D. Wright, American Champion jockey
Rigby
Rigby is most famous for being the "birthplace of television", a title the city can attribute to a high school student named Philo Taylor Farnsworth. Farnsworth drew up his first blue-prints of a television while he was a Jefferson County resident. Later he invented the vacuum tube television display. Original tubes from Farnsworth's early experiments were on display at the Rigby High School for many years. They are now held by the Jefferson County Museum in Rigby. A section of the former Yellowstone highway, passing through the community, has been named in Farnsworth's honor.
Notable People
Rigby is the birthplace of Larry Wilson, a Pro Football Hall of Fame member who played safety for 13 seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League.
Vardis Fisher, a famous and influential atheist author, is from the rural Annis area near Rigby. He attended and graduated from Rigby High School.
Rigby is also the home of Wayne Quinton, who invented the treadmill and over thirty biomedical devices
Riggins
The Seven Devils Mountains and the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area are just a few miles southwest of town. The Riggins Rodeo in early May can be viewed from the grandstands or from the hillside overlooking the arena.
Lou Dobbs
Rupert
Electricity was plentiful in Rupert after the building of the Minidoka Dam and led to Rupert being one of the first cities in the world to have its streets lighted by electricity.
Notable People
Lou Dobbs
actor Bill Fagerbakke,
Mayan archaeologist Richard D. Hansen, raised in Rupert.
Hot rod shop owner Boyd Coddington and motocross rider and Mx des Nations 2009 winner Jake Weimer are from Rupert.
St. Anthony
Notable People
Brad Harris, television and movie actor
Sherman P. Lloyd, Utah State Senator and United States Representative from Utah
Salmon
Salmon is home to the Sacajawea Interpretive Culture and Education Center, which focuses on Lemhi Shoshone culture, as well as the interaction between Sacagawea and other Shoshone and Lewis and Clark. The Lewis and Clark Expedition crossed the continental divide at Lemhi Pass, 30 miles (48 km) to the southeast of Salmon. They followed the Salmon River through the present site of the city, then ascended the North Fork of the river to cross into present-day Montana near Lost Trail Pass. The sole female in the party, Sacajawea, was born in the Lemhi Valley near Salmon. The Sacajawea Interpretive, Cultural and Educational Center was opened in Salmon in August 2003
Sandpoint
It is the headquarters of Coldwater Creek, a women's apparel retailer, Litehouse, a national salad dressing manufacturer, and the location of one of the largest film festivals in the Northwestern United States, the Lakedance International Film Festival.
In August 1888, twenty-nine year old author and civil servant Theodore Roosevelt, visited Sandpoint on a caribou-hunting trip in the Selkirk Mountains[5] Roosevelt documented what a rough-and-tumble environment "Sand Point" was at that time (and for many decades following).
Notable People
Mark Fuhrman, Los Angeles Police Department detective, best known for his testimony at the O. J. Simpson trial
Nate Holland, Two time Olympian, 5 times X Games Gold Medalist, US Snowboard team
Jerry Kramer, National Football League right guard,
author Joe Mather,
Major League Baseball outfielder Patrick F. McManus,
Viggo Mortensen, actor, artist, author,
photographer Kristy Osmunson,
country singer & fiddler from the duo Bomshel
Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican Vice-President nominee
Jake Plummer, National Football League quarterback
Marilynne Robinson, writer and winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
Jake Rosholt, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler
Ben Stein, actor, writer, political commentator
Shelley
Since 1927 Shelley has been home to the "Idaho Annual Spud Day", which is celebrated on the 3rd Saturday of September. It typically features a parade, live bands, games (such as a tug of war into a pit of mashed potatoes) and free baked potatoes.
Spencer
The city is noted as being the "Opal Capital of America".[citation needed] The mine is located 5–6 miles outside of town.
Spirit Lake
Notable People
Bobby Jenks, baseball pitcher
Sugar City
Notable People
Harold G. Hillam - Emeritus General Authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, former member of the Presidency of the Seventy Laurel
Thatcher Ulrich, Pulitzer-prize winning author of A Midwife's Tale
Sun Valley
Tourists from around the world enjoy its skiing, hiking, ice skating, trail riding, tennis, and cycling. The world's first chairlifts were installed on the resort's Proctor and Dollar Mountains in the fall of 1936. (Proctor Mountain is northeast of Dollar Mountain
Ski racing - In the years before the World Cup circuit, the Harriman Cup at Sun Valley was one of the major ski races held in North America, along with the "Snow Cup" at Alta, the "Roach Cup" at Aspen Mountain, and the "Silver Belt" races at Sugar Bowl, north of Lake Tahoe.
Sun Valley was featured (and promoted) in the 1941 movie Sun Valley Serenade, starring Sonja Henie, John Payne, Milton Berle, and bandleader Glenn Miller. Scenes were shot at the resort in March 1941. Sun Valley transfer local and future gold medalist Gretchen Fraser was the skiing stand-in for Henie. The film is shown continuously on television in the resort's guest rooms and nightly at the Opera House during the winter season.
Notable People
Ernest Hemingway completed For Whom the Bell Tolls (which many consider his greatest novel) while staying in suite 206 of the Lodge in the fall of 1939.
Averell Harriman had invited Hemingway and other celebrities, primarily from Hollywood, to the resort to help promote it. Gary Cooper was a frequent visitor and hunting/fishing partner, as were Clark Gable, Errol Flynn, Lucille Ball, Marilyn Monroe, and several members of the Kennedy family. Hemingway was a part-time resident over the next twenty years, eventually relocating to Ketchum ("Papa" and his fourth wife are buried in the Ketchum Cemetery). The Hemingway Memorial, dedicated in 1966, is just off Trail Creek Road, about a mile northeast of the Sun Valley Lodge.
Warren Miller Noted ski film producer - while in his early 20's, wintered in Sun Valley from 1946–49, first living in a car and small teardrop trailer in the River Run parking lot. Miller would later rent an unheated garage for five dollars per month and sublet floor space to friends to pitch their sleeping bags (at fifty cents per night). One of these friends was Edward Scott, the future inventor of the lightweight aluminum ski pole. This extra cash helped Miller purchase his first rolls of 16 mm movie film, jump-starting his motion picture career. During this time he evolved from ski bum, to ski instructor, to ski filmmaker. Miller has since traveled and filmed all over the world, but until recent years he continued to return to Sun Valley virtually every year. He has featured Sun Valley in dozens of his annual films, which has helped publicize the Sun Valley region worldwide. His movies still play around the country today. His son is a major part in them today.
Bill Janss (1964-77) After World War II, Harriman focused on his career in government service and the Union Pacific gradually lost interest in the resort. Rail service was discontinued to Ketchum in 1964 and that November the resort was sold to the Janss Investment Company, a major Southern California real estate developer headed by a former Olympic ski team member, Bill Janss, founder of Snowmass. (Janss was selected to the 1940 team, but the games were cancelled due to the war). Janss gained full control of Sun Valley in 1968. During this Janss era of ownership, the north-facing Warm Springs area was developed, as well as Seattle Ridge, and condominium and home construction increased significantly. Seven chairlifts were added, and the number of trails increased from 33 to 62. The original Seattle Ridge double chairlift was installed in 1976, but due to a very poor snow year in 1976-77 it was not operated until December 20, 1977, christened by local legend Gretchen Fraser. Janss also has a ski run named after him, called "Janss Pass", formerly known as "Silver Fox", to the right of the Frenchman's chairlift.
