Idaho Photo Archives - LIFE

A Joyful Thanksgiving and a “Marriage Experiment”

Bill Syken — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 15:03:38 +0000

In 1972 LIFE magazine ran a cover feature on what it termed “Marriage Experiments.” The issue featured several examples of nontraditional domestic units. These ranged from a collective family in Berkeley, California to unmarried parents living in the Boston suburbs. If the Boston couple doesn’t sound all that experimental, keep in mind that this was at a time when raising children out of wedlock was still relatively rare, with percentages just starting to climb out of the single digits. (In 2024, about one of four children are being raised by unmarried parents).

Another one of the “experiments” in the issue featured Joy and Stan Potts, a couple who had what the magazine termed a “frontier partnership.”

Here’s how that partnership worked, as described by LIFE:

For three months each year they disappear into the Idaho Primitive Area where, as a team, they operate a commercial hunting camp. To do this they leave behind their three girls, ages 11, 12 and 17, who willingly—and successfully—remain entirely on their own at the alfalfa ranch the Pottses run in Nevada during the rest of the year.

Joy Potts said leaving the children on their own for so long benefited the kids as well as the parents. The kids, she said, learned to be independent. And running the camp together with her husband was good for their relationship. “Marriages get down in the dumps because people sort of ignore each other,” Joy told LIFE. “I know I am an important person to Stan.”

As for Stan, he told LIFE that the key to a happy marriage was sharing in everything—including the inevitable failures. “Then you know how it all works, that it’s not any one person’s fault,” he said. He added that if he were running the camp on his own, “It would be a lot more lonely and a lot harder without Joy, that’s for sure.”

The story was photographed by John Dominis, and he visited the Potts’ camp during Thanksgiving, when their daughters had come to visit. Their holiday dinner, which also included the hunters at the camp, looks as welcoming as it was rustic.

The Potts’ “frontier partnership” was an enduring one. In 2021 Stan and Joy were recognized by the Hall of Fame of the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association, Salmon River Chapter. Later that same year Joy died at age 87, survived by her husband of 67 years. Her obituary included a delightful detail on how Joy and Stan first met, while she was Mackay, Idaho visiting family: “During that first conversation, she told him she milked cows, and he was hooked.”

Joy and Stan Potts shared a light moment during Thanksgiving dinner at the hunting camp they ran in Idaho, 1972.

John Dominis/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Joy and Stan Potts leave their alfalfa farm and children three months a year to brave the frontier wilderness in Idaho. Here they and their daughters, on the left side of the table, enjoy a Thanksgiving feast, joined by hunters at the camp, 1972.

John Dominis/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Joy and Stan Potts would leave their alfalfa farm and children three months a year to run an Idaho hunting camp. Here Joy (second from right) handed out sandwiches to a hunting party before they set out, 1972.

John Dominis/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Joy Potts carried water from a stream to use for cooking and cleaning at the Idaho hunting camp that she and her husband ran, 1972.

John Dominis/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Joy Potts took a bath in water heated from a stove at the Idaho hunting camp that she and her husband Stan ran, 1972.

John Dominis/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Stan Potts chopped firewood at the hunting camp run by him and his wife Joy, 1972.

John Dominis/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Joy and Stan Potts, 1972.

John Dominis/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Joy and Stan Potts would leave their three daughters, ages 11, 12 and 17, at the family alfalfa farm for months at a time while they went off to run their hunting camp.

John Dominis/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The post A Joyful Thanksgiving and a “Marriage Experiment” appeared first on LIFE.

“The Most Thrilling Ride in the U.S.”

Bill Syken — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 15:13:02 +0000

In 1949 LIFE magazine took its readers on an extreme river adventure in a story headlined “Shooting the Salmon.” The headline referred to the Salmon River, which cuts through central Idaho.

The magazine opened its story breathlessly:

The most thrilling ride in the U.S. is in a 12-foot rubber boat down 55 miles of the middle fork of the Salmon River in Lemhi County, Idaho. For years the river with its boiling rapids and so-called Impassible Gorge with its 3,000-foot walls was thought so dangerous that only two dozen of the most daring white-water boatmen in the U.S. had ever tackled it.

But in 1949 some river guides had mastered the Middle Fork to the point that they began leading expeditions, and LIFE photographer Loomis Dean rode with one group. The trek down river took nine days, with people often camping near winter snow that had yet to melt. Some nights the temperatures dipped to 25 degrees. During those nine days the trekkers also caught—and ate—an estimated 200 pounds of trout. (If you are wondering, you can also catch salmon in the Salmon River) .

After finishing their trip the adventures concluded that, having survived the Salmon River, “the only thing left was Niagara Falls in a barrel.”

Today the Salmon River remains an esteemed destination, and one that is not easy to gain access to. The Middle Fork is now federally protected and adventure-seekers must enter a lottery for the right to travel its class III and IV+ rapids.

A Salmon River adventure in Idaho, 1949.

Loomis Dean/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Scenes from a nine-day adventure on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho, 1949.

Loomis Dean/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Scenes from a nine-day adventure on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho, 1949.

Men horseback riding along the Salmon River.

Guide Hank Hastings scanned the wild rapids ahead on the Salmon River, 1949.

Loomis Dean/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Adventurers shot the rapids on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho, 1949.

Loomis Dean/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Adventurers rode the rapids on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho, 1949.

Loomis Dean/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Helen and Peter Brooks explored an ice cone in Impassable Gorge during their nine-day trek down the Salmon River, 1949.

Loomis Dean/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Scenes from a nine-day adventure on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho, 1949.

Loomis Dean/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The adventurers set up camp during a nine-day trek down the Salmon River in Idaho, 1949.

Loomis Dean/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The trekkers caught and dined on trout during their expedition down the Salmon River, Idaho, 1949.

Loomis Dean/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Helen Brooks held a string of trouts caught during a nine-day expedition down the Salmon River in Idaho, 1949.

Loomis Dean/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Scenes from a nine-day adventure on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho, 1949.

Loomis Dean/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Helen Brooks washing dishes in the Salmon River, Idaho, 1949.

Loomis Dean/Life Picture Collection/Shuttertstock

One of the trekkers took a bath in frigid waters during a nine-day adventure on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho, 1949.

Loomis Dean/Life Picture Collection/Shuttertstock

Scenes from a nine-day adventure on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho, 1949.

Loomis Dean/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Scenes from a nine-day adventure on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho, 1949.

Men horseback riding along the Salmon River.

Scenes from a nine-day adventure on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho, 1949.

Loomis Dean/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Scenes from a nine-day adventure on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho, 1949.

Loomis Dean/Life Picture Collection/Shuttertstock

The post “The Most Thrilling Ride in the U.S.” appeared first on LIFE.

The Logging Life: Gone Down the River

Bill Syken — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 15:34:49 +0000

Some of the most appealing photoshoots for the original run of LIFE magazine are the ones that captured a way of life that has receded from the modern world. Perhaps there is no better example than LIFE’s story on the vanishing cowboy, which would become an inspiration for the Marlboro Man character. That figure resonated in part because he represented something that was being lost—a world in which people spent their workdays in the saddle, rather than at the desk.

In 1940 LIFE staff photographer Hansel Mieth ventured to Idaho for a story in a similar vein. Here the central figures were the loggers. Mieth captured these men gathering timber from the forests and shepherding those fallen trees down the river to a lumber mill. A log drive bears more than a passing resemblance to a cattle drive. While the trees are not alive in the same way that cattle are, their size, along with the rushing waters, created an element of adventure—certainly more than one might find in, say, an office cubicle.

The pictures Mieth took at a logging camp deepen the shoot’s cowboy feel. When not working some of the loggers gathered to sing songs, and the camp cook signaled chow time by ringing a triangular dinner bell.

Mieth’s logging photos never made it into the magazine, and without an accompanying story, we don’t know much about the location off the shoot, beyond that it was in Idaho. We also don’t know much about the loggers themselves, except for what Mieth captured visually. Nor do we know the specific theme of the intended story, which is thus left to our imaginations.

In 2023 nearly 50,000 people worked in the logging industry in the United States, so the business continues. But the practice of driving logs down the river ceased in the 1970s. If it happens at all these days, it’s part of one-day celebration honoring a bygone practice.

The lumber industry in Idaho, 1940.

Hansel Mieth/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The post The Logging Life: Gone Down the River appeared first on LIFE.

The American Northwest: Vintage Color Photos From an Epic Road Trip

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 15:27:00 +0000

In August 1961, LIFE magazine published an ambitious, 10-page tribute to the American Northwest with the dramatic title: “Where God Sat When He Made America.” The title of the article, LIFE claimed, was inspired by a phrase uttered by an awe-struck visitor to Glacier National Park. Now, there’s nothing unusual, cheesy or suspect about the deep emotions that grand vistas can inspire in most anyone. Teddy Roosevelt, after all, reportedly wept upon first seeing Yosemite Valley.

And we can say this about the brilliant color photographs in this gallery, shot by long-time LIFE staffer J.R. Eyerman: they’re wonderful.

When he was a boy, Eyerman took thousands of pictures in Yellowstone, Glacier and other national parks while traveling and camping with his dad. Decades later, the professional photographer spent weeks in late 1960 traveling throughout Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Washington, and even as far south as San Francisco for the magazine’s tribute to “the stunning majesty of the Northwest.”

We hope you enjoy the view.

Not published in LIFE. Photo made for, but not published in, a LIFE magazine article on the American Northwest, fall 1960." caption="J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock" title="A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960." src="https://static.life.com/wp-content/uploads/migrated/2014/04/140414-northwest-roadtrip-01-1024x810.jpg" alt="" />

A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960.

J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Not published in LIFE. Photo made for, but not published in, a LIFE magazine article on the American Northwest, fall 1960." caption="J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock" title="A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960." src="https://static.life.com/wp-content/uploads/migrated/2014/04/140414-northwest-roadtrip-02.jpg" alt="" />

A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960.

J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Not published in LIFE. Photo made for, but not published in, a LIFE magazine article on the American Northwest, fall 1960." caption="J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock" title="A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960." src="https://static.life.com/wp-content/uploads/migrated/2014/04/140414-northwest-roadtrip-03-1024x673.jpg" alt="" />

A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960.

J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Not published in LIFE. Yosemite Valley, 1960." caption="J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock" title="Yosemite Valley, 1960." src="https://static.life.com/wp-content/uploads/migrated/2014/04/140414-northwest-roadtrip-04-1024x662.jpg" alt="" />

Yosemite Valley, 1960.

J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Not published in LIFE. Photo made for, but not published in, a LIFE magazine article on the American Northwest, fall 1960." caption="J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock" title="A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960." src="https://static.life.com/wp-content/uploads/migrated/2014/04/140414-northwest-roadtrip-05.jpg" alt="" />

A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960.

J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Not published in LIFE. Golden Gate Bridge, 1960." caption="J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock" title="Golden Gate Bridge, 1960." src="https://static.life.com/wp-content/uploads/migrated/2014/04/140414-northwest-roadtrip-06-1024x662.jpg" alt="" />

Golden Gate Bridge, 1960.

J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Not published in LIFE. Photo made for, but not published in, a LIFE magazine article on the American Northwest, fall 1960." caption="J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock" title="A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960." src="https://static.life.com/wp-content/uploads/migrated/2014/04/140414-northwest-roadtrip-07-1024x833.jpg" alt="" />

A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960.

J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Not published in LIFE. Photo made for, but not published in, a LIFE magazine article on the American Northwest, fall 1960." caption="J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock" title="A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960." src="https://static.life.com/wp-content/uploads/migrated/2014/04/140414-northwest-roadtrip-08-1024x676.jpg" alt="" />

A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960.

J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Caption from LIFE. "At Yosemite National Park, four bucks gather to drink at the edge of the Merced Rover under the rock formations of El Capitan (far left) and North Dome (center, right) which rise above the unspoiled wilderness."" caption="J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock" title="At Yosemite National Park, four bucks gathered to drink at the edge of the Merced Rover under the rock formations of El Capitan (far left) and North Dome (center, right)." src="https://static.life.com/wp-content/uploads/migrated/2014/04/140414-northwest-roadtrip-09-1024x814.jpg" alt="At Yosemite National Park, four bucks gather to drink at the edge of the Merced Rover under the rock formations of El Capitan (far left) and North Dome (center, right) which rise above the unspoiled wilderness." />

At Yosemite National Park, four bucks gathered to drink at the edge of the Merced Rover under the rock formations of El Capitan (far left) and North Dome (center, right).

J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Not published in LIFE. Photo made for, but not published in, a LIFE magazine article on the American Northwest, fall 1960." caption="J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock" title="A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960." src="https://static.life.com/wp-content/uploads/migrated/2014/04/140414-northwest-roadtrip-10-1024x830.jpg" alt="" />

A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960.

J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Not published in LIFE. Photo made for, but not published in, a LIFE magazine article on the American Northwest, fall 1960." caption="J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock" title="A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960." src="https://static.life.com/wp-content/uploads/migrated/2014/04/140414-northwest-roadtrip-11-1024x823.jpg" alt="" />

A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960.

J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Not published in LIFE. Photo made for, but not published in, a LIFE magazine article on the American Northwest, fall 1960." caption="J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock" title="A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960." src="https://static.life.com/wp-content/uploads/migrated/2014/04/140414-northwest-roadtrip-12-1024x662.jpg" alt="" />

A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960.

J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Not published in LIFE. Photo made for, but not published in, a LIFE magazine article on the American Northwest, fall 1960." caption="J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock" title="A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960." src="https://static.life.com/wp-content/uploads/migrated/2014/04/140414-northwest-roadtrip-13-1024x662.jpg" alt="" />

A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960.

J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Not published in LIFE. Photo made for, but not published in, a LIFE magazine article on the American Northwest, fall 1960." caption="J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock" title="A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960." src="https://static.life.com/wp-content/uploads/migrated/2014/04/140414-northwest-roadtrip-141-1024x662.jpg" alt="" />

A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960.

J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Not published in LIFE. Photo made for, but not published in, a LIFE magazine article on the American Northwest, fall 1960." caption="J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock" title="A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960." src="https://static.life.com/wp-content/uploads/migrated/2014/04/140414-northwest-roadtrip-15-1024x808.jpg" alt="" />

A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960.

J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Caption from LIFE. "The monumental Grand Coulee Dam in Washington intercepts the Columbia River and sends its waters rushing down the 1,650-foot-wide spillway. . . ."" caption="J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock" title="he Grand Coulee Dam in Washington intercepted the Columbia River and sent its waters rushing down the 1,650-foot-wide spillway." src="https://static.life.com/wp-content/uploads/migrated/2014/04/140414-northwest-roadtrip-16-1024x662.jpg" alt="The monumental Grand Coulee Dam in Washington intercepts the Columbia River and sends its waters rushing down the 1,650-foot-wide spillway. . . ." />

he Grand Coulee Dam in Washington intercepted the Columbia River and sent its waters rushing down the 1,650-foot-wide spillway.

J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Not published in LIFE. The Northwest's Pacific coast, 1960." caption="J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock" title="The Northwest's Pacific coast, 1960." src="https://static.life.com/wp-content/uploads/migrated/2014/04/140414-northwest-roadtrip-17-1024x816.jpg" alt="" />

The Northwest’s Pacific coast, 1960.

J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Not published in LIFE. Photo made for, but not published in, a LIFE magazine article on the American Northwest, fall 1960." caption="J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock" title="A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960." src="https://static.life.com/wp-content/uploads/migrated/2014/04/140414-northwest-roadtrip-18-1024x808.jpg" alt="" />

A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960.

J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Not published in LIFE. Roadside picnic, fall 1960." caption="J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock" title="Roadside picnic, fall 1960." src="https://static.life.com/wp-content/uploads/migrated/2014/04/140414-northwest-roadtrip-19-1024x819.jpg" alt="Roadside picnic, fall 1960." />

Roadside picnic, fall 1960.

J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Not published in LIFE. Photo made for, but not published in, a LIFE magazine article on the American Northwest, fall 1960." caption="J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock" title="A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960." src="https://static.life.com/wp-content/uploads/migrated/2014/04/140414-northwest-roadtrip-20-1024x662.jpg" alt="" />

A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960.

J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Not published in LIFE. Driving through the famed Wawona Tree (est. 2,300 years old), Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park, 1960. The tree fell in 1969." caption="J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock" title="Driving through the famed Wawona Tree (est. 2,300 years old), Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park, 1960. The tree fell in 1969." src="https://static.life.com/wp-content/uploads/migrated/2014/04/140414-northwest-roadtrip-21.jpg" alt="Driving through the famed Wawona Tree (est. 2,300 years old), Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park, 1960. The tree fell in 1969." />

Driving through the famed Wawona Tree (est. 2,300 years old), Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park, 1960. The tree fell in 1969.

J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Not published in LIFE. Photo made for, but not published in, a LIFE magazine article on the American Northwest, fall 1960." caption="J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock" title="A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960." src="https://static.life.com/wp-content/uploads/migrated/2014/04/140414-northwest-roadtrip-22-1024x808.jpg" alt="" />

A scene from a road trip through the American Northwest, 1960.

J.R. Eyerman The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The post The American Northwest: Vintage Color Photos From an Epic Road Trip appeared first on LIFE.

The Highs of a Rocky Mountain Road Trip, 1959

resolute — Thu, 10 Oct 2019 17:18:27 +0000

In the decade following the end of World War II, tourism in the Rockies doubled as Americans took to the road to explore and enjoy the American West. In 1959 LIFE photographer Eliot Elisofon made his own trek through the Rocky Mountain, on a five-day journey that covered 1,800 miles. He trained his camera on natural landscapes and also on the area’s burgeoning manmade attractions, like the massive outdoor skating rink in Sun Valley, Idaho, above. The netting was placed over the rink to cut down on the glare of the mountain sun.

Photo by Eliot Elisofon/The LIFE Picture Collection © Meredith Corporation

Welcome to the 50s, and also the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. The staff of lifeguards proved ready to channel their inner Esther Williams.

Colorado was full of all kinds of fun and games. At a rodeo in Ridgway, Colo., the action got a little wild, and a ride on an old-time looked a little hairy too. The train, which carried tourists along the canyon walls above the Animas River, also known as the River of Lost Souls, made the 90-mile round trip between Durango and Silverton daily, and had been featured in the filming of Around the World in 80 Days.

Photo by Eliot Elisofon/The LIFE Picture Collection © Meredith Corporation

Looking back at car culture from those years can feel like its own kind of natural wonder—a parking lot becomes as attractive as the attraction. But then, the attractions on the trip were pretty darn good too. Below: Bryce Canyon in Utah, and then onto Yosemite, with its bears and Old Faithful.

Photo by Eliot Elisofon/The LIFE Picture Collection © Meredith Corporation

In this last photo, below, a family from Louisville headed out into the Idaho hills with a crew that included a cook, a wrangler, and pack mules for a multi-day trek. Their deep dive underlines the appeal of the Western United States. It’s about the breathtaking scenery, but it’s also about a journey back to a time when this country was wild.

Photo by Eliot Elisofon/The LIFE Picture Collection © Meredith Corporation

The post The Highs of a Rocky Mountain Road Trip, 1959 appeared first on LIFE.