STORY BY KAREN BOSSICK

Duffy Witmer considers the path Ketchum’s Big Hitch ore wagons took more than a century ago every time he drives his Ford pickup down the same winding road from his ranch atop Trail Creek Summit to his Pioneer Saloon.

“I love history so much, and the history of these wagons and the energy they bring to Wagon Days is very special,” said Witmer, who got a history minor in college. “I’m on my brakes the whole time I’m coming down the hill, and I think all the time about what it would’ve been like hauling between 8,000 and 16,000 pounds of ore in those wagons. I understand one driver was just 14 years old.”

Witmer got to ride at the head of the Wagon Days Parade that trots out those wagons as Parade Grand Marshal on Saturday—a thanks for 50 years at the helm of Ketchum’s legendary restaurant that was feted this year by the James Beard Foundation.

“There’s no other place like Ketchum,” said Duffy Witmer, evoking a sentiment that resonates through every story he tells and every meal served at the Patron Saloon.

“I’ve been to at least 50 Wagon Days celebrations, and I still get goosebumps when the wagons come around the corner,” he confessed.

More than a hundred people turned out to fete Witmer at the Grand Marshal reception despite a hailstorm that thundered and dumped heavy rain on Ketchum Town Square a half-hour before the reception was to begin. The City of Ketchum treated attendees to BBQ chicken, coleslaw and cornbread, and Ketchum Mayor Neil Bradshaw entertained them with a round of questions for Witmer.

Witmer said he came to Ketchum in 1973 as a young man to learn how life in a mountain town contrasted with his life growing up on the beaches of southern California.

He bought a house that year, and a few days later he had to rent it out because he couldn’t pay the rent on his first paycheck of $320 at the Pio.

Sheila Witmer, Duffy's ex-wife, noted that the Pioneer Saloon won Best Float in 1988 with a display that featured activities that can be done in Sun Valley ranging from tennis to golf.

Witmer and his wife Sheila went on to buy half-ownership in the Pio, as it’s known, in 1977, and took over full ownership in 1986.

This year the restaurant was one of six to receive the 2025 America’s Classics Award from the James Beard Foundation. The award recognizes the restaurant’s ambiance and preservation of the local heritage and culture.

Witmer and 10 family members got the opportunity to walk the red carpet, the cameras flashing, at an awards ceremony in Chicago that Witmer said resembled the Academy Awards. And cameras caught Witmer tearing up with emotion on the big screen.

“People said that brought them to tears watching me,” he said. “People from all over the Untied States came up to congratulate me. A man from Jame Beard interviewed me about having a restaurant in Idaho and a man from the Food Chanel hugged me and said, ‘I love the Pio. I’ve been there many times.’

Ketchum Mayor Neil Bradshaw quipped that Duffy Witmer has probably bought the most drinks for people in the valley over the years.

“Just to have the camaraderie of restaurant people all together was so exciting. Next to getting married and the births of my children, this is the best thing that's ever happened to me in my life.”

Over the years, the Pioneer Saloon became a gathering place for locals and celebrities alike. Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax, who had a home in Sun Valley, was a regular visitor. So was actor Clint Eastwood, who would patiently abide hour-long waits.

"He'd come in and I would say, 'It's an hour and a half wait,' and he'd say, 'No problem,' " Witmer said. When autograph seekers would line up, Witmer would sometimes take the requests, slip around the corner, and sign them himself—a secret the fans never discovered.

Sylvester Stallone, in contrast, tried to curry favor. When Witmer told him the wait was an hour and a half long during the busy Christmas season, he spouted, "Do you know who I am?!"

Mayor Neil Bradshaw also recognized Blaine County Heritage Court Lady Jeanne Cassell, whom he described as "93 years young" and an "all-star" who helped found The Advocates, among other things.

Witmer’s response was classic. He turned to his waitress and said, "Can you help this person? He doesn't know who he is."

Bradshaw told the crowd that he had heard stories about Witmer giving his employees a couple thousand dollar and telling them to take a few nights off when they were struggling.

“You make a big impression with small actions, and Duffy’s actions have meant a lot to our community,” Bradshaw said.

Bradshaw called the Pio a grounding force for the community in the face of so many changes over the years.

"I've seen a lot of changes, but not in the quality of people here," Witmer observed. "The people who live here love this town and try to make it the best they can. I love to go through town seeing people hugging each other."

Witmer added that he hopes the community will maintain its essential character as Ketchum continues to evolve.

“I hope as we go forward, we'll move slowly,” he said. “I hope that we'll still do things on a handshake and a drink.”