Situated in Ketchum, an Idaho mountain town, Ernest Hemingway’s last home is the least visited of all the places in which the writer lived. The winner of the Nobel Prize had abodes in various places across the United States and even in his beloved Cuba. Nowadays it is argued that Ketchum, the scene of Hemingway’s suicide in 1961, is located in the most beautiful setting of all previous dwellings. Hemingway’s wife occupied the house until her death in 1986 and today’s resident, Taylor Paslay, believes that the house has significant value to the community. He laments the fact that few people know where it is and that it does not attract as many people to the area as it perhaps should. There are no public visits allowed beyond the garden path of the house, although the occasional guided tour for special guests has been known to take place.
What is the most awe-inspiring element of the area is the view from the house which inspired Hemingway to write his world-famous works. The Silver Creek Preserve is visible from most windows, indeed most presume that Hemingway used to glare at the Canada geese, mallards, pintails, deer and splashing trout whilst working over his typewriter. The glorious nature of the area started drawing wealthier people in the early 1930’s: one of them was Ernest Hemingway. Apparently, his original thinking behind buying a house in such a location was to find a place with no humidity and not susceptible to fire. Hemingway was a keen collector of paper and needed a suitable environment. Nevertheless, mentions of the preserve and the similarly visible nearby Sun Valley became more frequent in his works as he lived in the house. It is hoped that the atmosphere created by Hemingway’s life and the beauty of the house’s surroundings will bring more visitors in the future.
