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Certainly, the most consequential business in the early days of the Wood River Valley was Ketchum's Philadelphia Smelter. Built in 1881, the smelter led the way in innovation and prosperity and created the conditions for a boom in population, transportation, and mechanization. When the Wood River Museum was made aware of a painting of the smelter by an antiques dealer on the East Coast, the wheels were set in motion for trying to extract all the information possible on the painting's origins and to find out more about the operations of the smelter itself. 

Two local historians and researchers, John Lundin and Jack Lane, have undertaken a deep dive into this research and painting. The painting is the featured artwork for the 2026 Wagon Days poster, and this lecture will reveal the historical significance of the smelter itself during its heyday and demise, as well…