Folklore

In 1958, a few hundred spectators attended what would grow to become one of the largest non-motorized parades in the Pacific Northwest - The Wagon Days Big Hitch Parade! Today, over fifteen thousand people flock to Ketchum to watch this historical parade and celebrate the western heritage it represents. The parade features buggies, carriages and wagons, with the grand finale being the Lewis Ore Wagons and the Big Hitch. These six massive ore wagons were used during Ketchum's mining heyday and traversed the steep mountain passes between Ketchum and Challis. Built in Ketchum specifically for this purpose, the wheel base of the wagons were sized to the specifications of the Trail Creek Summit road. These are the last wagons of their kind.