Sheldon Z. and Vernice Thayer Collection
Photographs of Idaho and the Inland Northwest, 1932-1951
Contents: About this collection | Historical Note | Tech
About this collection
This collection contains digitized copies of various photos by Sheldon Zadok Thayer and some correspondence by the Thayer family.
The photos in the collection primarily show the Thayer family engaging in outdoor recreation in Idaho and surrounding areas during the end of the Great Depression. Of particular note are the photos that show the Thayers enjoying Sun Valley Resort during the years immediately following its opening in the winter of 1936.
The photos were donated by Sheldon Thayer’s granddaughter, Jill Holgren. Prompted by community interest, the collection was digitized in 2024.
The original documents are held by University of Idaho Special Collections.
Historical Note
Sheldon Zadok Thayer was born on July 10, 1902 in Toledo, Oregon. Oreta Vernice (Averil) Thayer was born on April 22, 1905 in Falls City, Oregon. After their marriage, they moved their young family to Hailey, Idaho around 1935.
The family consisted of Sheldon and Vernice, their son Averill, and their daughters Virginia, Joan, and Janice. It also included Sheldon’s mother, Effie Crosno Thayer.
The family later moved to Hagerman, Idaho, where Sheldon worked for Idaho Power and opened a photo studio. He was known for large black and white framed landscapes of Idaho. Some were hand-colored by Vernice and signed S. Z. Thayer.
Sheldon died on July 22, 1988 and Vernice on December 2, 1998.
Technical Credits - CollectionBuilder
This digital collection is built with CollectionBuilder, an open source framework for creating digital collection and exhibit websites that is developed by faculty librarians at the University of Idaho Library following the Lib-Static methodology.
Using the CollectionBuilder-CSV template and the static website generator Jekyll, this project creates an engaging interface to explore driven by metadata.