Tales From The Dust of Old Jackson Hole

Howdy Stranger! Yonder is Jackson Hole, the Last of the Old West!

For many years this sign at the top of Teton Pass greeted the stranger heading down the steep mountain road to Jackson Hole. What lie ahead? Danger? Outlaws? A new life? Romance? A home to call his or her own? Only time would tell and many tales of joy and laughter, sorrow and tears, were buried in the dust of the intervening years.

Growing up on a working cattle ranch originating as a homestead near the turn of the twentieth century, I often heard long buried tales and learned the lore needed to survive the times. Three generations of our family then lived in the old ranch house and many an evening was spent laughing at the stories of pranks and deeds -- or misdeeds! -- of older ones now lying buried in the depths of the raging Snake River or beneath the shadows of the mighty Teton Mountains. (Some of those pranks, I must admit, got played again on unsuspecting victims whenever we of the youngest generation got a chance..but then, we had to have our fun, too!)

Our story started when Granddad and his older brother, Alma, were one day taken aside and quietly counseled by their mid-wife mother to leave the Heber valley and strike out on their own. Granddad was in his late teens and Uncle Alma only a year or two older. Great grandmother could see there was no future in that already well settled community for two young men eager to make their mark in the world.

Heeding her counsel, the two young men took a train ride to Rexburg, Idaho and became homesteaders along the Eden Bench. After two years of work in that area, their circumstances changed and life ceased to look so promising. Up came their stakes and they moved on north to Teton Valley, Idaho. There, they again tried the life of homesteaders -- this time in the little community of Darby located along the western base of the Teton Range. Two years of much work and exceedingly little water began to hint that life in this area, also, held little promise for the adventuresome young men.

Hearing that water was more plentiful, and the grass much greener, on the eastern slopes of the Tetons, they saddled their horses and made the arduous trip over Teton Pass to Jackson Hole. After seeing the opportunities there, and visiting with older cousins already homesteading in the Grovont and Kelly area, they became convinced it was time for another move.

It was the spring of 1905 and Granddad purchased a relinquishment on a homestead claim lying along the eastern banks of the Snake River in the little community known as Zenith. Uncle Alma obtained an adjoining claim and back they went over Teton Pass to pack up their possessions and bring their little herd of livestock to a new home. Their excitement must have known no bounds at that time. Little did they guess what the future held in store for them!

Their first home was a rough log cabin that, years later, became Grandad's woodshed. For the time being, however, it was adequate shelter for two young men out to make a name for themselves.

Much hard work was involved in proving up on a homestead and it was a lonely life. Grandad was pretty shy around women but Uncle Alma rode back over the mountains and found a bride to bring home with him. That helped ease both the loneliness and his desire for some decent food. (Bachelor cooking with beans and more beans just wasn't his idea of the good life!)

Now, one woman and two men in a rough one-room log cabin left a bit to be desired by the new wife so Uncle Alma and Grandad set out to get logs for a new home. Cutting logs with an ax was the order of the day and that was what they were doing when Uncle Alma's ax slipped and cut a huge gash in his foot. Grandad staunched the bleeding and doctored it the best he could, then rushed Uncle Alma to the only doctor in over a hundred miles. He wasn't much of a doctor, apparently, and blood poisoning set in. (Dad once told me this "doctor" was more of a horse doctor than a human one!) The doctor only allowed Uncle Alma a teaspoon of water at a time and before they could get better medical attention Uncle Alma died. His pregnant wife went back home to her parents and Grandad was left to fend for himself.

He said it was a pretty lonely life. Often he would go six weeks or more without seeing another human being. Sometimes, then, it would only be to see a rider on horseback some distance away. He must have occasionally made the trip south to the town of Jackson or east, up to Kelly, but probably that was only done every few months at first. After a period of time he began to become known as a very able man in civic affairs, as well as in ranching, and was elected to the local school board.

Being on the school board would have brought him into more contact with those living in the outer reaches of that district. Besides, who is to say he wasn't thinking about using that ploy to meet some pretty "school marm" and persuade her to take up stakes with him? I don't know ... and Grandad never did say ... but that's a tale for another day! (Yes, Grandma was a "school marm"!)