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Jackson Hole Area History

Trappers, settlers, cowboys, ranchers, Native Americans, mountain men, poachers, government surveyors, presidents, playboys, foreigners, tourists, mountaineers, artists and businessmen have all played roles in the history of Jackson Hole. Many simply passed through, as it was only in the last century that settlers dug in here, seeking a living out of the dramatic, rough, hardscrabble land of Jackson Hole.

The Early Years

Before the settlers and fur trappers came to the Rocky Mountains, Native American tribes made an annual migration through the surrounding mountains to hunt this wildlife-rich area.

Crow, Gros Ventre, Blackfeet, Nez Perce, Bannock, and Shoshone all made recorded journeys into the 'Hole'. Traces of their presence have been found all over the valley in places like Mosquito Creek, Blacktail Butte, along the shores of Jackson Lake, and even high in the mountains near the tallest peaks of the Tetons. (It is thought that, young Indian boys may have made their vision quests, or spiritual journeys, into the lofty peaks where they sought visions and revelations from the spirits to help them on the path of manhood.)

The Era of the Mountain Men

The era of the mountain men in Jackson Hole opened in 1807 when John Colter left Lewis and Clark's expedition to go on a trapping expedition through the unexplored west. Over the next few years he, and his partner Manuel Lisa, explored, trapped, and traded with the Native Americans throughout the Northern Rockies both in and around Jackson Hole. In fact, Colter brought back the first reports of the geothermal wonders of Yellowstone to incredulous Easterners who mockingly dubbed the Yellowstone Country "Colter's Hell".

A few years later in 1822, Jedediah Smith, Jim Bridger, William Sublette and Davey Jackson (namesake of Jackson Hole) joined others on an expedition up the Missouri to its source in southwestern Montana on the north side of what is now Yellowstone National Park.

At the end of the expedition, Smith and six trappers spent the winter trapping in Teton Valley, on the western flank of the Teton Range. Jackson and his partners continued trapping in an around Jackson Hole until the partners sold their company. In 1832, Jackson returned to his native St. Louis, never to return, but left his name as a legacy to the great valley east of the Tetons, Jackson's Hole.

Settlement

From 1830 for the next 45 years, the area was virtually deserted by the white man until the Hayden Survey made its historic expedition through Jackson Hole and Yellowstone company. Nine years later, the first permanent settlers, John Holland and Millie and Johnny Carnes built cabins along Flat Creek inside the boundaries of the present-day National Elk Refuge. By 1909, the town of Jackson boasted a population of 200 while the valley held perhaps 1,500 hearty settlers.

It was a hard life. Cattle ranching and guiding wealthy Eastern and European hunters sustained the economy. Ranches were small family operations where cattle number in the dozens. Hours were long it was a touch and go whether a ranch could raise enough hay to feed the cattle through the long, harsh winters.

It didn’t take long for some of them to discover that vacationing easterners were more profitable and less troublesome tenants than steers. With the formation of the JY Ranch on Phelps Lake, the hospitality industry made it start in Jackson Hole. Following the JY's lead, other ranchers made the switch to dudes, quickly making Jackson one of the largest dude ranching communities in the country.

The First All-Female Town Council

In 1920, Jackson made its mark on the history of the United States by electing the nations first all-female town council. Although this was the era of prohibition, gambling and drinking were major pursuits within the valley. Instead of cracking down, the ladies wisely focused on popular issues that brought the slate back into office in the following elections.

The Rise of Tourism

Post-war prosperity brought about an increase in disposable income, the expansion of available leisure time, and the rise of the automobile as the transportation mode of choice. Tourists abandoned the trains, jumped behind the steering wheels and headed to Yellowstone country. The automobile made a visit to Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park an important part of a family's trip to Yellowstone Country. The rise of winter recreation and the ski industry gave further impetus to growth in Jackson Hole. The crowding of the cities and the need to escape the rat race drove the increase in second homes in the 90's. But, at heart, Jackson Hole remains a small, albeit growing, town where the conveniences of modern living joins the spirit of the old west.