BY KAREN BOSSICK
Carrie Adell Strahorn, for whom Hailey’s Della Mountain is named, was the first woman to tour what is now Glacier National Park and Rocky Mountain Park. And she was the first to tour all 400 miles of Yellowstone National Park and describe its scenery.
Along the way, she helped push stagecoaches out of mud and rode canoes through rapids. And she helped establish the town of Hailey alongside her husband Robert E. Strahorn, publicist for the Union Pacific Railroad.
She recorded her observations in the 700-page memoir “Fifteen thousand Miles by Stagecoach” in 1925. It became a best seller and was reprinted three times.
Historical researcher Florence Blanchard will talk about this amazing woman at 5:30 p.m. tonight—Thursday, June 13—at the Hailey Public Library.
Blanchard, who served as director of the College of Southern Idaho in Hailey during the 1980s, edited both the Bellevue and Hailey Centennial publications.
She will be assisted by Sue Bailey, long-time journalist and English instructor.
The program will feature a special guest appearance by Carrie Adell Strahorn and tasty bites from Café Della, a new restaurant about to open in Hailey that was named after Strahorn.
The restaurant is scheduled to open on Hailey’s Main Street on June 26, said Liza Green.
Café Della is a neighborhood café, bakery and market. Its founders Liza Green and Ashley Roop were inspired by life’s food experiences ranging from childhood family gatherings to the refreshing simplicity of local farmers markets to create a line of items that make you feel good. Their house-made pastries, vegetable-forward dishes and updated classics are prepared with seasonal, fresh, quality ingredients, simply prepared, said Green.
Library Director Gelskey said she’s been astonished by the popularity of the library’s history lectures celebrating the library’s centennial.
“Carrie Adell Strahorn was a remarkable woman of her time and this talk features many surprises,” she added.
John Lundin, another local history enthusiast, will talk about Carrie Adell’s husband Robert Strahorn on June 26 at the Hailey Public Library.