Other History
Taggart Lake
© Vertical Media
The first people to cross the high and steep mountain passes into Jackson Hole most likely arrived while the last massive glaciers were still receding. Clovis stone arrowheads, a style used 12,000 years ago, have been found along the edges of the valley. These early inhabitants were replaced in the 16th and 17th centuries by the Shoshone, Bannock, Blackfeet, Crow and Gros Ventre Indian tribes. When the first trappers entered Jackson Hole, they discovered Indian trails throughout the valley. Today, many historic sites in Jackson Hole shed light on how these early settlers lived, traveled and survived. more info
Alpine Forest
© Vertical Media
The first Jackson Hole homesteaders arrived to the valley in 1884, followed by a number of others who were fleeing the law. Most of the settlers survived off the land and served as guides for rich hunters from Europe and the eastern states. Conflicts soon arose between the Bannock Indians, who had been hunting the valley for more than 100 years, and the new settlers who were making money off of guiding wealthy sportsmen through the wilderness. By 1895, Wyoming passed game laws prohibiting hunting during 10 months of the year.
By the turn of the century, the settlements of Jackson, Wilson, Kelly and Moran had all been established. With the towns growing at the speed of a tortoise, people survived by ranching, guiding and engaging in the new business of tending to wealthy dudes from back east. Tourism eventually surpassed raising cattle in importance, but even today in somewhat populated places like Teton County there are as many cattle as there are people.
Jackson was named by Maggie Simpson who opened a post office here in 1894. As a not so ironic event to take place in the Equality State, in 1920 Jackson became the first town in America to be entirely governed by women. The ladies remained in office until 1923.
In the ensuing decades, Jackson has grown in physical size and population, spurred on by the creation of Grand Teton National Park and the construction of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. In the last 25 years, Jackson Hole has seen considerable growth with the influx of tourists who come to indulge in outdoor activities, investors who have established multiple hotels and golf courses and well-to-do families who are laying claim to their own parcels of paradise. Today, Teton County has the highest per capita income in the U.S.
With much of the land in Jackson Hole deemed public land, rapid growth on private land is slowly turning the area into Wyomings version of Vail or Santa Fe. Even the quaint establishment of Wilson has succumbed to the building growth, with a massive new elementary school and a cluster of modest new homes going up. Although growth has forced real estate prices to skyrocket over the years cutting away at any real potential for affordable housing, Jackson Hole is still one of the most beautiful and peaceful places in the world. Long time residents like to point out that this is more than just a place to visit, for them its a place to relax and indulge in natures beauty-both of the old and new West.
For more information about Jackson Hole, visit the Wyoming State Information Center while in town.
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