The History of Teton Valley

Earliest people settled in Jackson Hole about eleven thousand years before. Data about it is very limited to the archeological diggings of the area. But based on these gathered data, it can be deduced that the people who lived here before stayed in this area whenever there is available food for their survival, then they migrate to other places when the supply is depleted. They crossed into Jackson Hole for their hunting expeditions. Indian tribes also occupied the area, the likes of Shoshoni, Flathead, Gros Ventre, and Blackfeet.

In 1808, John Colter, a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition was supposedly thought to have discovered the area. Fur trappers frequented this place for hunting their game. They called it a hole because it was a plateau of great height surrounded by a ring of magnificent mountains. It was named after David E. Jackson, the fur trapper who was able to survive the winter along Jackson Lake in 1829, one of the deadliest in history. The Teton Range at ten million years old is still considered young for the Rockies Mountains.

This valley became unheard of for a while during the 1830’s because of its inaccessibility until it was rediscovered again by the military and civilians in the 1860’s to 1870’s. The names for the different areas of Teton Valley were given by the Hayden Survey members.

John Holland and John Carnes were the first settlers in Jackson Hole by the late 19^th century. They made their homes by the north of what is now the present town of Jackson. In 1890, only 64 people inhabited this small town of Jackson Hole because its climate and soil did not permit basic ranching and farming to prosper. Their main work was mountain-valley ranching wherein they allowed their cattle to graze on the mountains while they grew food and hay in the valley for the winter supplies. But it was very hard work for most of the settlers.

The valley became known for its reputation in hunting and fishing during the late 1800’s. Being quite familiar with the area, several settlers offered their services as guides and packers for those wealthy hunters. Some even made it as a fulltime job, such as Ben Sheffield. Using his earnings as a guide, he was able to buy a ranch in 1902 by Jackson Lake. He used this ranch as his base for his expeditions. This ranch eventually evolved into the town of Moran.

In 1910, small communities and villages started to form to be able to give the basic needs and services to the people, with Jackson, Wilson, Kelly and Moran as the main villages. Post offices were put up in Elk, Grovont, Marysvale, and Menor’s Ferry. 1914 saw Jackson to be the seat of Teton County and its commercial center.

There were also other people who tried their luck into managing dude ranches. During the years from 1908 to 1912, the JY and Bar BC were built. The 1920’s saw a boom in the economic standing of the valley, brought about by dude ranching. People also saw the importance of elk and other wildlife preservation in their work as tourist guides, this probably being one of their best possible sources of income.

The movement to conserve national resources in the United States affected the ownership of this valley, preventing its transfer into a private owner. President Cleveland made the Teton Forest Reserve in 1897, following the Forest Service Act of 1891. In 1908, the Teton National Forest was established, including much of Jackson Hole land. 1929 marked the establishment of the Grand Teton National Park which comprised 96,000 acres of glacial lakes and a big chunk of the Teton Range.

The younger Rockefeller bought private lands within Jackson Hole to be used for the Park. They established the Snake River Land Company that bought more than 35,000 acres of land in following twenty years.

President Roosevelt in 1943 established the Jackson Hole National Monument through the Antiquities Act of 1906, comprising 210 acres of federal land located in Jackson Hole. Then in 1949, the federal government received as donation from the Rockefellers 33,000 acres of land. By 1950, legislation marked the merging of the Jackson Hole National Monument with the Park.

At present, the main livelihood and source of income of Teton Valley is tourism. The tourists come over to relax and enjoy the scenery, wildlife and other features of the parks and mountains.