Jackson Hole Historical Sites
Visitors to Jackson Hole are looking for all kinds of things. Food? We’ve got it. Nature? We’re practically swimming in it. History? Oh, we’ve got plenty of that too. It’s that last thing that we’re interested in today, so here’s a list of the top historical sites in Jackson Hole.
Jackson Town Square
George Washington Memorial Park, or just Town Square, is the heart of Jackson. It started as an empty patch of dirt in the middle of town. In 1920, the town council voted to reserve the land for a more formalized town space. But it took till 1932 for a fence to be raised, grass to be sown, and trees planted. The first of the famous elk antler arches rose in 1953, with more arches joining them between 1966 and 1969. The military memorial in the middle was built in 1976. Got all that? There will be a test later.
Also, check out this cool webcam to see what the town square looks like in real-time.
LOCATION: Smack dab in the middle of town, you can’t miss it
St. John's Episcopal Church
The first site in Jackson to hold regular Episcopal services was St. John’s. The original rectory was built in 1911, and over the years (In addition to Sunday services), it’s been used as a meeting place and social hall, hostel for ranchers and lodgers, community library, and classroom.
LOCATION: 170 N Glenwood St
Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum
The Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum was established in 1958, housed in a building that had once been a hardware store and a garage. The collection now includes more than 7,200 objects, 19,200 photographs, 8,200 records, and 460 oral histories. Make sure to check the hours before visiting; it closes for the winter.
LOCATION: About a block from the town square, 175 E Broadway
Miller Cabin
There’s a nice, handy plaque on site to tell you all you need to know about the Miller cabin, so we won’t spoil all the historical details. Suffice it to say that it’s a cute little cabin that once housed the superintendent of the Teton National Monument.
LOCATION: Follow Broadway East from the town square to the National Elk Refuge Road. Go left and follow the road three-quarters of a mile. The cabin is on your left.
Mormon Row
Have you ever seen a screen saver? Like, any of them? Then you’ve seen the picturesque barn prominently featured in this historical site. That particular barn took over 30 years to build, and we wrote an article about it a while back. You should read it.
LOCATION: From Highway 89/191, turn on Antelope Flats Road. Park at the Mormon Row parking lot. The parking lot is closed in winter.
This post is brought to you by Flat Creek Inn.
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Ryan Kunz is a copywriter and freelance writer who writes on a variety of topics, including media, the outdoors, and whatever else strikes his fancy. History was his favorite subject in school next to lunchtime.