KETCHUM, Idaho — Ketchum is showcasing its historic ore wagon fleet ahead of Wagon Days, the annual celebration scheduled for Sept. 4-6.
WATCH: Ketchum's historic ore wagons are on display with free tours ahead of the Sept. 4-6 Wagon Days celebration.
Wagon Days Coordinator Heather Lamonica-Decker says the wagons on display at the Ketchum Ore Wagon Museum are one-of-a-kind artifacts tied directly to the region's mining heritage.
"These are antiques – they are the only ones of their kind in the world," Lamonica-Decker said.
Starting in the 1880s, the Lewis Fast Freight Line served as the backbone of daily life for miners throughout the Wood River Valley.
"These wagons would take supplies, mail, everything the miners needed – supplies up to the mines and then they would haul down thousands of pounds of ore," Lamonica-Decker said.
After the introduction of the railroad and a decline in mining production, the wagons became obsolete by the early 1900s. The city of Ketchum purchased the historic fleet in 1976.
"You can always see these wagons here in Ketchum - the wagon museum was built so that people can come any time of the year and look at these amazing pieces of history," Lamonica-Decker said.
For a little over a month each year, the preserved and restored wagons are brought outside, and the wagon house is upgraded with new displays and free tours.
David Fox, who has lived in the valley for over 40 years, said he supports the city of Ketchum continuing to fund and maintain the wagons, calling it the right investment 50 years ago.
"History has to be preserved – I know that it's a little amount of the budget to do that and I think that we're at the point now where maintaining that investment is well worth the time for future people to see it," Fox said.
Lamonica-Decker, a fourth-generation Idahoan whose family worked these wagons, said she is glad local leaders remain committed to protecting the past even as Ketchum continues to grow.
"I feel very fortunate that we have a community that has a government that looked at this as its responsibility long-term – because without that type of institutional caretaking, these are the kinds of things that go away," Lamonica-Decker said.
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