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Wood River Valley’s Colorful Mining History in Spotlight
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Monday, May 20, 2019
 

BY KAREN BOSSICK

Many of the miners who first came through the Wood river Valley were not looking to stay. They liked their vagabond life and, if they were lucky, they made a little money doing it.

Such was the case of Dan Scribner, who went looking for a claim at the bidding of Henry Miller, a Salt Lake City postmaster. Scribner, legend has it, discovered the rich vein of galena that was to become the Minnie Moore Mine overlooking Bellevue when his dog chased a rabbit down a badger hole. He sold it for $10,000 to Miller who mined it for four years, then sold it to the Bank of England for $450,000.

He was one of the lucky ones.

“Stubby Swaner, who worked in the mines here, used to say: ‘Most miners think they’re five feet from a million dollars when they’re probably a million feet from $5,” said Tom Blanchard, a local mining historian who lives in Bellevue.

Tom Blanchard will offer an entertaining look at the history of mining in the Wood River Valley with a special emphasis on its impact on Hailey at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 23, at the Hailey Public Library.

Blanchard will discuss what drove mining development, how it influenced local politics and how it spurred competition between Bellevue, Hailey and Ketchum—particularly Bellevue and Hailey, which did some pointed jabbing in their bid for the county seat.

The loss of the coveted county seat contributed to Bellevue’s establishment as a working class town, despite early amenities such as an opera house. And Hailey became more of a white collar town.

The early miners also set the stage for a deep-seated distrust of federal government that is still pervasive today.

The free presentation is being offered as part of the library’s efforts to showcase local history as the library celebrates its hundredth anniversary.

The library has planned a big celebration of its 100th birthday on July 19, which will include live music, dancing by Peruvian youngsters and, of course, cake.

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