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Produced & Maintained by Idaho Mountain Express, Box 1013, Ketchum, ID 83340-1013 
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Copyright © 2003 Express Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Express Publishing Inc. is prohibited. 


Friday, June 4, 2004

Features

Wright imbues valley spirit

Heritage Court honors Bellevue woman

Second in a series of five


By MEGAN THOMAS
Express Staff Writer

Few people ever pay $50 for a house, especially in the Wood River Valley. Lillian Wright of Bellevue continues to live in the home she and her husband bought for $50 in 1939. But it’s not this unusual claim to fame that earned Wright the "Lady of the Court" honor. Instead, the Blaine County Historical Society will bestow the honor to Wright for her lifelong contributions to Bellevue.

"I was always willing to do anything I could do for the community," said Wright.

Lillian Wright continues to contribute to Bellevue, and will be honored for her efforts throughout her lifetime in Bellevue at the Heritage Court. Express photo by Megan Thomas

On June 27, the Blaine County Historical Museum will honor Wright, and four other women for their contributions to the Wood River Valley during the 2004 Heritage Court at the Liberty Theatre in Hailey. The other four women being honored are Marge Brass Heiss, 94, of Bellevue; Billie Horne Buhler, 90, of Hailey; Mary Jane Griffith Conger, 78, of Ketchum, and Verda Edwards O’Crowley, 74, of Carey.

Born on her family’s farm in Slaughter House Canyon, east of Bellevue, Wright has spent her entire 85 years in the Wood River Valley. Growing up in a family with 11 children, she learned the value of family, hard work and contributing to the community. She spent her childhood attending Gannett School, graduating in 1937 from Gannett High School. Soon after graduating, she married her high school sweetheart Charles Wright in June of 1939 and moved to Bellevue.

The newlyweds built their life in Bellevue, starting with their home. Wright remembers paying $50 for the house the couple bought from the Eckles Ranch. In November 1939, a team of horses moved the two-room shed on two logs to a lot the couple received as a wedding present from the groom’s parents. In 1939, the lot was a cornfield. Today, Wright has neighbors in all directions.

When the house rolled into the Bellevue cornfield, it didn’t have windows, and was little more than a shed. Wright explained that she and her husband "worked and worked on the house until we got our home."

Over the years the couple added on to the house as the family grew. Wright and her husband raised four children there. She said that her favorite thing in life was "raising the family and seeing them accomplish what they did." Wright’s prized possession is clearly her family. Not in a trite, sappy way, but with insightful appreciation for the paths her children chose.

The family took picnics, fished, played games and gathered at home to enjoy one another. Wright recalled one of the favorite family gatherings was around the television at their home. Wright said "I think we had the first TV in Bellevue. Everybody would come here to watch TV."

If Wright’s home was her favorite place, the mines were her least. Wright’s husband mined at the Triumph mine until 1957 and then worked at the Queen Mine. One Sunday afternoon Wright ventured into the mine with her husband who had to check a pump. After the experience she said she never returned to the dark, damp caves. Despite her dislike for being inside the mines, Wright remembers the importance of the mining industry as the driving force of the Wood River economy.

Now, Wright spends her time with her family and stays active in the community. She is a member of the Civic Club, the Bellevue Community Church and likes to crochet and cook.


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The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.





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