Join the Wood River Museum and The Community Library for a field trip and exploration to visit and learn about the mining areas north of Ketchum.

We'll have two guest guides with us: Tom Blanchard, who is deeply knowledgeable about the history of mining in the Wood River Valley and Central Idaho; and Erik J. Freeman, assistant professor of history at Idaho State University who has researched the recently acquired collection of papers of George Z. Blackmon (1854-1936), one of the first black settlers to central Idaho who mined up Fourth of July Creek in the Sawtooth Valley.

We'll provide the transportation for this all-day adventure in learning about mining and visiting these important locations. Bus will leave at 8:00 a.m. from in front of the Gold Mine Thrift Store and return around 6:00 p.m.

Sites visited will include:

• Stanley Museum
• Sunbeam Dam site
• Yankee Fork Dredge
• Custer Ghost Town (road permitting)
• Clayton Cemetery and Museum

Pack a sack lunch, snacks and a big water bottle for the day... and we'll stop at the Sunbeam Cafe (it'll be closed still) for a picnic lunch.

$15 dollar suggested donation to help cover the cost of transportation.

We encourage you to bring cash with you to make donations at these small Museums and historic sites. Most don't/can't take credit cards!

Photo courtesy Robert E. Ballard, author of Idaho Ghost Towns and Mining Camps. Available at the Wood River Museum's gift shop.