Alexander Ross visited the valley in 1821 in search of beaver, and the Hudson's Bay Company regarded the area as promising. Ketchum's brief mining era began in 1879 after the Sheepeater War and the relocation of the Native American population. The town was named for prospector David Ketchum, who discovered the first lead and silver deposits in the valley, built a log cabin on the Wood River, lived there for one winter, profited by selling his real estate interests, and left for good. In 1880, the City of Ketchum was established near Warm Springs Creek along the Wood River. With a year-round water supply, the Philadelphia Smelter on Warm Springs Road began operating in 1882 and included some of the nation's first electric lights. The Oregon Shoreline Railroad arrived in 1884, and in the 1890s the smelter processed ore from mines as far away as Challis. After silver prices declined, many residents, mostly miners, left, but Ketchum soon recovered as a leading sheep-shipping center and a destination for tourists seeking hot springs cures. On January 16, 1936, the area's future as America's first world-class ski resort began to take shape when Union Pacific owner W. Averell Harriman ended his search after Austrian Count Felix Schaffgotsch praised the place for a winter sports resort. On December 21, 1936, Sun Valley Resort opened and set off growth that continues today.