Jackson Hole History
Jackson Hole lies 6,200 feet between the Teton and Gros Ventres mountain ranges where the Snake River divides the valley in two before eventually flowing 840 miles away to the Pacific Ocean. Though the rugged terrain and mountainous beauty lures nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts to the area today, Jackson Hole was first home to Native American Tribes, fur trappers and traders.
Historians and archeologists believe that the Jackson Hole area was inhabited perhaps as long 12,000 years ago and artifacts belonging to hunter-gatherers have been discovered dating from 500 to 5,000 years ago. The Crow, Gros Ventre, Blackfeet, Nez Perce, Bannock, and Eastern Shoshone tribes all made seasonal pilgrimages through the area to hunt during the warmer months, but the Sheep Eaters were the only tribe to live in the higher elevations year round surviving off of the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep that grazed on the southern slopes.
A thirst for exploration, hunting opportunities, and advertisements in newspapers like the St. Louis Enquirer offering wages of $200.00 per year, opened the region up to trappers and explorers. John Colter, Nick Wilson, William Sublette, Jedediah Smith, Jim Bridger, and David E. Jackson are credited with settling the area, though they were by no means the first inhabitants.
How Jackson Hole Got Its Name
A low-lying valley bordered by mountains typically has streams and rivers running through it. This creates a fertile ground for beavers and other fur-bearing animals- exactly what fur trappers were looking for. The trappers commonly called these hunting grounds “holes” and it wasn’t uncommon for certain areas to be named after the trapper that hunted there most frequently. In 1829, Sublette named the valley Jackson’s Hole after his partner David E. Jackson. After enduring too much ill-mannered, but good-natured humor, Jackson’s Hole eventually became Jackson Hole for reasons you can imagine.
Crossroads Of the Fur Trapping and Trading Market
For 30 years, between 1810 and 1840, Jackson Hole was the center of the fur trading and trapping universe. Trappers established working relations with Native Indian tribes, founded trading companies like the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, and did a steady business selling and trading with companies like the Hudson Bay Company and Astoria Fur Company. Jackson Hole became the time’s Grand Central Station for six key trapping trails. Jackson Hole was also the hub where trappers, isolated in the winter months, gathered in the summer to sell and trade their bounty. They also did their fair share of making merry before heading back to the higher elevations to resume trapping.
Out With the Fur and In With the Silk
Much like today, fashion trends on the East Coast dictated fashion throughout the country. By 1845, fur had been deemed unacceptable for men’s taste and was replaced by silk. This trend brought an end to the trapping era and fur hunters made a quick exodus from Jackson Hole leaving it largely uninhabited for nearly 45 years due to its relative isolation. During this time, migrating tribes and government expeditions were the region’s primary visitors. The most infamous of these expeditions occurred in 1871. Magnificent photographs taken of the area during the Hayden expedition convinced the federal government to appoint it as the nation’s first national park in 1872. Wyoming was granted statehood 18 years later.
Jackson Hole ’s First Residents Roll In
Did You Know?
The Town of Jackson was the first in the country to elect an all- female town council in 1920.After braving the old Native American Trail and clearing their way through the rough mountainous terrain, John Holland and John and Millie Carnes became the first official permanent Jackson Hole citizens. They built their homesteads along Flat Creek, which eventually became the National Elk Refuge. Following in the Carnes and Holland's “wagon steps”, more pioneers settled in the valley to ranch and raise cattle. A mere 20 years later, the town of Jackson boasted a population of 200 and the entire Jackson Hole valley was home to 1,500 more in villages like Kelly, Wilson, and Moran. Several historic buildings from this era still stand at Manor's Ferry near Grand Teton National Park headquarters.
Ranching and cattle raising was the heart of Jackson Hole’s economy during its early years. Unlike the vast corporate ranches of today, these first ranches were small family-run outfits. Long hard workdays, even longer harsh winters, and competition between the elk herds and their cattle for hay, made for a less than desirable lifestyle.
Already a national park and the Tetons registered as a national monument in 1929, the Jackson Hole valley become a mecca for big game hunters, fly fisherman, horseback riders, dude ranchers and outdoor lovers in general. Being no fools, Jackson Hole residents soon realized that taking care of tourists provided a much better life than caring for cattle. Many transformed their former cattle ranches into vacation destinations. Many of today’s Jackson Hole residents have ancestors that began coming to the valley back in 1907. JY Ranch, the valley’s first ‘dude ranch” opened on Phelps Lake and inspired tourists to buy their own ranches or second homes in Jackson Hole.
Even today, Jackson Hole is a varied mix of “settlers” who call the area home year round and outdoor adventurers who consider Jackson Hole their summer or winter playground. You know it’s trapping and ranching heritage endures today as cowboys wearing their Wrangler jeans walk alongside extreme sports enthusiasts preparing for a heli-board trip.
