Jackson Hole

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Looking west, the Teton Range rises more than 7,000 feet (2,130 m) above the valley floor with its iconic John Moulton Barn. Barns grand tetons.jpg
Looking west, the Teton Range rises more than 7,000 feet (2,130 m) above the valley floor with its iconic John Moulton Barn.

Jackson Hole (originally called Jackson's Hole by mountain men) is a valley between the Gros Ventre and Teton mountain ranges in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the border with Idaho, in Teton County. The term "hole" was used by early trappers, or mountain men, as a term for a large mountain valley. These low-lying valleys, surrounded by mountains and containing rivers and streams, are good habitat for beavers and other fur-bearing animals. Jackson Hole is 55 miles (89 km) long by 6-to-13 miles (10-to-21 km) wide and is a graben valley with an average elevation of 6,800 ft (2,100 m), its lowest point being near the southern park boundary at 6,350 ft (1,940 m).

Contents

History

The valley was used by Native Americans for hunting and ceremonial purposes. It was not known to harbor year-round human settlement prior to the 1870s. Descriptions of the valley and its features were recorded in the journals of John Colter, who had been a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. After returning to the Rocky Mountains, Colter entered the region in 1807 in the vicinity of Togwotee Pass and became the first European-American to see the valley. His reports of the valley, the Teton Range, and the Yellowstone region to the north were viewed by people of the day with skepticism.[ citation needed ]

The town of Jackson was named in late 1893 by Margaret Simpson, who, at the time, was receiving mail at her home as there was no post office. She named the area in order for easterners to be able to forward mail west. Jackson, which became incorporated in 1914, was named after David Edward "Davy" Jackson, who trapped beaver in the area in the late 1820s with a partner in the firm of Smith, Jackson & Sublette. [1] Jackson, of Irish and Scottish descent, was one of the first European-Americans to spend an entire winter in the valley. [2]

Because the soil is not ideal for raising crops, the valley was used for cattle grazing, and tourism quickly became popular with the establishment of dude ranches.[ citation needed ]

Settlements

The only incorporated area in the valley is Jackson, located at its southern end. Other communities in the valley include Hoback, Kelly, Moose (Moose Wilson Road), Moran Junction, Teton Village, and Wilson. West of Jackson, Teton Pass crosses the southern end of the Teton Range, providing access to Alta on the western side of the Tetons, as well as Victor and Driggs in Idaho. This area was known as Pierre's Hole and hosted the Rocky Mountain Rendezvous in 1832. Numerous elk use the valley for grazing during the winter, and sleigh rides are offered to tourists. The Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Snow King, and Grand Targhee Resort ski areas, as well as the nearby Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks, are major year-round tourist attractions.

Geography

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Jackson Hole
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Location in the western United States

The valley is formed by the Teton Range to the west and the Gros Ventre Range to the east. Grand Teton National Park occupies the northwestern part of the valley, encompassing much of the Teton Range and Jackson Lake. The city of Jackson is at the southern end. Between them lies, on U.S. Route 26, "Glacier View Turnout" offering a view of Teton Glacier on the north of Grand Teton, [3] and the National Elk Refuge, home of the largest elk herd on earth. The Snake River threads through the entire valley from its headwater in Yellowstone in the north to the mouth of the Snake River Canyon at the southern tip of the valley. Blacktail Butte is a prominent landform rising from the valley floor. The average elevation of the valley is over 6,500 feet (2,000 m) above sea level.

High altitude and steep mountain slopes on all sides of the valley often cause calm winter nights to be very cold, as radiational cooling from snow-covered ground creates cold air near the surface, which then slides down into the valley due to the higher density of the air. In 1993, this effect during an already severe cold snap plunged the morning low temperature down to −56 °F (−49 °C) in the valley, officially recorded by the National Weather Service. The state record low temperature was also recorded in the valley at Moran at −66 °F (−54 °C) in 1933. Summers are warm to mild, due to the surrounding mountains.

Economy

Per capita income by county List of highest-income counties in the United States Per capita income by county.png
Per capita income by county
List of highest-income counties in the United States
Home prices by county (2021) Teton County has some of the most expensive homes on average .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{} <$100,000 $200,000 $300,000 $400,000 $500,000 $500,000 $700,000+ Home prices by county.webp
Home prices by county (2021)
Teton County has some of the most expensive homes on average
  <$100,000
  $200,000
  $300,000
  $400,000
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  $700,000+

Jackson Hole Airport is the largest and busiest commercial airport in Wyoming. The Jackson Hole Airport is also the only airport in the US that is located inside a National Park. [4] Strict noise abatement regulations and the terminal building's low profile allow for the airport to operate within federal guidelines inside Grand Teton National Park. However, it becomes difficult to fly in the winter months. Major airlines serve the valley with jet service, some of which is seasonal (summer and winter).

In 2016, the Jackson Hole Tourism website put up 20 live webcams of Jackson's town square in order to boost tourism. Since then, the audience of the live screening has grown rapidly, with up to 2,000 people watching at any one time. [5] [6]

Jackson Hole was rated in 2017 as the best campsite in Wyoming in a 50-state survey conducted by MSN.com. [7]

The community is also home to the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium, an annual gathering by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City that includes "prominent central bankers, finance ministers, academics, and financial market participants from around the world," according to its description. "The participants convene to discuss the economic issues, implications, and policy options pertaining to the symposium topic. The symposium proceedings include papers, commentary, and discussion." [8]

Films set and/or shot in Jackson Hole include 3 Bad Men (1926), The Big Sky (1952), The Wild North (1952), Shane (1953), Spencer's Mountain (1963), Any Which Way You Can (1980), The Mountain Men (1980), Rocky IV (1985), Dances with Wolves (1990), and Django Unchained (2012). [9] It is also a major location in the video games The Last of Us (2013) and The Last of Us Part II (2020), in which Jackson itself is home to a large community of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world. [10]

Rapper Kanye West recorded his album Ye (2018) while living in Jackson Hole; the album cover features a picture of the Teton mountains he had taken on his iPhone a few hours before the album's release. [11] Other albums West recorded here include his and Kid Cudi's Kids See Ghosts, Nas's Nasir , Pusha T's Daytona, and Teyana Taylor's K.T.S.E. . These albums are collectively known as the Wyoming Sessions. [12]

Notable people

Jackson has become a second home for various celebrities, often due to Wyoming's income tax regime, including Sandra Bullock, RuPaul Charles, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, Nikki Sixx, and Harrison Ford. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Teton National Park</span> United States National Park in northwestern Wyoming

Grand Teton National Park is an American national park in northwestern Wyoming. At approximately 310,000 acres (1,300 km2), the park includes the major peaks of the 40-mile-long (64 km) Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. Grand Teton National Park is only 10 miles (16 km) south of Yellowstone National Park, to which it is connected by the National Park Service–managed John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway. Along with surrounding national forests, these three protected areas constitute the almost 18-million-acre (73,000-square-kilometer) Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, one of the world's largest intact mid-latitude temperate ecosystems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackson, Wyoming</span> Town in Wyoming, United States

Jackson is a town in Teton County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 10,760 at the 2020 census, up from 9,577 in 2010. It is the largest town in Teton County and its county seat. Jackson is the principal town of the Jackson, WY-ID Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Teton County in Wyoming and Teton County in Idaho. The town, often mistakenly called Jackson Hole, derives its name from the valley in which it is located. Jackson is a popular tourist destination due to its proximity to the ski resorts Jackson Hole Mountain, Snow King Mountain, and Grand Targhee, as well as Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Absaroka Range</span> Mountain range in Montana and Wyoming, United States

The Absaroka Range is a sub-range of the Rocky Mountains in the United States. The range stretches about 150 mi (240 km) across the Montana–Wyoming border, and 75 mi (120 km) at its widest, forming the eastern boundary of Yellowstone National Park along Paradise Valley, and the western side of the Bighorn Basin. The range borders the Beartooth Mountains to the north and the Wind River Range to the south. The northern edge of the range rests along I-90 and Livingston, Montana. The highest peak in the range is Francs Peak, located in Wyoming at 13,153 ft (4,009 m). There are 46 other peaks over 12,000 ft (3,700 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teton Range</span> Mountain range in Wyoming, United States

The Teton Range is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in North America. It extends for approximately 40 miles (64 km) in a north–south direction through the U.S. state of Wyoming, east of the Idaho state line. It is south of Yellowstone National Park, and most of the east side of the range is within Grand Teton National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackson Lake (Wyoming)</span> Lake in the American state of Wyoming

Jackson Lake is in Grand Teton National Park in northwestern Wyoming. This natural lake was enlarged by the construction of the Jackson Lake Dam, which was originally built in 1911, enlarged in 1916 and rebuilt by 1989. As part of the Minidoka Project the top 33 ft (10 m) of the lake is used by farmers in Idaho for irrigation purposes under water rights legislation that was enacted prior to the establishment of Grand Teton National Park. The lake is the remnant of large glacial gouging from the neighboring Teton Range to the west and the Yellowstone Plateau to the north. The lake is primarily fed by the Snake River, which flows in from the north, and empties at Jackson Lake Dam. Jackson Lake is one of the largest high altitude lakes in the United States, at an elevation of 6,772 ft (2,064 m) above sea level. The lake is up to 15 mi (24 km) long, 7 mi (11 km) wide and 438 ft (134 m) deep. The water of the lake averages below 60 °F (16 °C), even during the summer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geology of the Grand Teton area</span>

The geology of the Grand Teton area consists of some of the oldest rocks and one of the youngest mountain ranges in North America. The Teton Range, partly located in Grand Teton National Park, started to grow some 9 million years ago. An older feature, Jackson Hole, is a basin that sits aside the range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Teton</span> Mountain in United States of America

Grand Teton is the highest mountain in Grand Teton National Park, in Northwest Wyoming, and a classic destination in American mountaineering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Colter</span> Member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

John Colter was a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806). Though party to one of the more famous expeditions in history, Colter is best remembered for explorations he made during the winter of 1807–1808, when he became the first known person of European descent to enter the region which later became Yellowstone National Park and to see the Teton Mountain Range. Colter spent months alone in the wilderness and is widely considered to be the first known mountain man.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridger–Teton National Forest</span> Protected area in western Wyoming, US

Bridger–Teton National Forest is located in western Wyoming, United States. The forest consists of 3.4 million acres, making it the third largest National Forest outside Alaska. The forest stretches from Yellowstone National Park, along the eastern boundary of Grand Teton National Park and from there rides along the western slope of the Continental Divide to the southern end of the Wind River Range. The forest also extends southward encompassing the Salt River Range and Wyoming Range mountains near the Idaho border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Elk Refuge</span>

The National Elk Refuge is a Wildlife Refuge located in Jackson Hole in the U.S. state of Wyoming. It was created in 1912 to protect habitat and provide sanctuary for one of the largest elk herds. With a total of 24,700 acres (10,000 ha), the refuge borders the town of Jackson, Wyoming on the southwest, Bridger-Teton National Forest on the east and Grand Teton National Park on the north. It is home to an average of 7,500 elk each winter. The refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wyoming Centennial Scenic Byway</span>

Wyoming Centennial Scenic Byway is a scenic byway that exists in Sublette, Teton, and Fremont counties in the U.S. state of Wyoming and extends from Pinedale, Wyoming for 163 miles (262 km) to Dubois, Wyoming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colter's Hell</span> United States historic place

Colter's Hell is an area of fumaroles and hot springs on the Shoshone River near Cody in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The thermal area covers about one square mile (2.6 km2) at the mouth of the Shoshone's canyon. Its thermal activity has declined since its description by mountain man John Colter, who parted from the Lewis and Clark Expedition prior to its conclusion, and passed through the region in the winter of 1807–1808. Colter's account of the features on what was then called the Stinkingwater River has subsequently been confused with the much more extensive and powerful geysers in Yellowstone National Park, which Colter may not have actually visited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shoshone River</span> River in Wyoming, United States

The Shoshone River is a 100-mile (160 km) long river in northern Wyoming in the United States. Its headwaters are in the Absaroka Range in Shoshone National Forest. It ends when it runs into the Big Horn River near Lovell, Wyoming. Cities it runs near or through are Cody, Powell, Byron, and Lovell. Near Cody, it runs through a volcanically active region of fumaroles known as Colter's Hell. This contributed to the river being named on old maps of Wyoming as the Stinking Water River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blacktail Butte</span>

Blacktail Butte is a butte mountain landform rising from Jackson Hole valley in Grand Teton National Park in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Blacktail Butte was originally named Upper Gros Ventre Butte in an early historical survey conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey. Most of Blacktail Butte is densely forested with a mixed fir forest of lodgepole pine, Douglas fir and Engelmann spruce, with scattered pockets of aspen. There are several large sedimentary rock outcroppings, which are used by rock climbers. This butte is a principal landmark in Jackson Hole, with much of the Jackson Hole valley floor and many portions of the Teton Range visible from its hillsides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierre's Hole</span> United States historic place

Pierre's Hole is a shallow valley in the western United States in eastern Idaho, just west of the Teton Range in Wyoming. At an elevation over 6,000 feet (1,830 m) above sea level, it collects the headwaters of the Teton River, and was a strategic center of the fur trade of the northern Rocky Mountains. The nearby Jackson's Hole area in Wyoming is on the opposite side of the Tetons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Pass</span> United States historic place

Union Pass is a high mountain pass in the Wind River Range in Fremont County of western Wyoming in the United States. The pass is located on the Continental Divide between the Gros Ventre mountains on the west and the Wind River Range on the east. A triple divide exists nearby, where water may flow to the Mississippi River, Columbia River, or Colorado River. The pass was historically used by Native Americans and early mountain men including the Astor Expedition in 1811 on its way west. On the return trip, fearing hostile Indian activity near Union Pass, the Astorians chose a southern route and discovered South Pass.

Teton National Forest, in western Wyoming, was a United States national forest that would form a constituent part of the present-day Bridger-Teton National Forest. It was first established by the General Land Office on February 22, 1897 as the Teton Forest Reserve with 892,440 acres (3,611.6 km2). A commission was established in 1896 to plan for a system of national forest reserves, recommending an expansion of the territory protected by the Yellowstone Timberland Reserve. President Grover Cleveland's 1897 proclamation established a protected area encompassing the northern end of Jackson Hole, extending from the south boundary of the Yellowstone Forest Reserve south to the area of the Gros Ventre River, and from the Idaho border in the west to the area of the Continental Divide in the east. Much of this area would eventually be incorporated into Grand Teton National Park. In 1902 the southern porion of the Yellowstone reserve was added, while the Teton Reserve was greatly expanded to the south and east while excluding the southern portion of Jackson Hole around the town of Jackson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Yellowstone National Park</span>

The following articles relate to the history, geography, geology, flora, fauna, structures and recreation in Yellowstone National Park.

The following articles relate to the history, geography, geology, flora, fauna, structures and recreation in Grand Teton National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakes of Grand Teton National Park</span> Lakes of United States Grand Teton National Park in northwestern Wyoming

There are 44 named and countless unnamed lakes in Grand Teton National Park. The largest of these is Jackson Lake, a natural glacial lake that has been enlarged with the construction of the Jackson Lake Dam. The lakes range in size as well as ease of access. In addition to mountain tarns, there are several large peidmont lakes. Nearly all the lakes are glacial in origin, formed by glacial action that carved out the valleys and left moraine behind that acted as dams to lock in water.

References

  1. ↑ Hays, Carl D. W. (1983). "David E. Jackson". In Leroy R. Hafen (ed.). Trappers of the Far West: Sixteen Biographical Sketches. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. pp. 80–81. ISBN   0-8032-7218-9.originally published in Leroy R. Hafen, ed. (1972). Mountain Men and Fur Traders of the Far West vol. IX. Glendale: The Arthur H Clark Company.
  2. ↑ Mattes, Merrill J. "Grand Teton NP/Yellowstone NP: Colter's Hell and Jackson's Hole (Chapter 6)". Colter's Hell and Jackson's Hole. Yellowstone Library and Museum Association, and Grand Teton Natural History Association, in cooperation with National Park Service. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  3. ↑ Grand Teton National Park Photographer's Map & Guide. Earthwalk Press. 2008. ISBN   978-0-915749-25-6.
  4. ↑ "Jackson Hole Airport". Jackson Hole Airport. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Confession: I'm addicted to the goofily charming Jackson Hole webcam". www.cnet.com.
  6. ↑ "Jackson Hole Tourism website". www.seejh.com.
  7. ↑ "The best campsite in every state". Msn.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Jackson Hole Economic Symposium".
  9. ↑ Maddrey, Joseph (2016). The Quick, the Dead and the Revived: The Many Lives of the Western Film. McFarland. ISBN   9781476625492.
  10. ↑ "The Last of Us Part 2: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Jackson". www.thegamer.com. August 9, 2020.
  11. ↑ Mense, Ryan (June 1, 2018). "Kanye West Took Landscape Photo Used on Album Cover Himself With iPhone". Fstoppers. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  12. ↑ Findlay, Mitch (March 26, 2018). "Kanye West's New Album: Everything We Know". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  13. ↑ How Wyoming Became A Secret Celebrity Hotspot -- Sandra Bullock, RuPaul Charles, Kanye West, Nikki Sixx, and Harrison Ford own property there. But why?, Hugh McIntyre, Bustle.com, 2021-08-25, accessed 2022-08-03

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