Jackson Lake lies in the northern valley of the Grand Tetons, where the Snake River, with its three main tributaries, flows just to the south. This Northwest portion of Wyoming, including Jackson Lake, the Snake River, and the Tetons combine to form Jackson Hole. In the early 19th century, trappers used the term “hole” to mean a valley abundant in game.

In October of 1805, Lewis and Clark travelled on the Snake River towards the Upper Snake River, known to the expedition as Lewis’s River. The expedition passed along the outskirts of Jackson Lake. In a journal entry from October 10, 1805, Clark estimated the river at “about 250 yards wide,” and identified it with the native people of the area known as “the Snake or So-So-nee nation.” On their return journey, the Corps of Discovery passed by the area a second time in April of 1806.

After the gold rush inspired easterners to try their luck out west, miners from Montana came down into Jackson Hole to dig the Snake River. Miners actively panned a channel of Jackson Lake known as Pacific Creek. Jackson Hole gained the attention of The National Park Service and encouraged thoughts of preservation in April of 1918 when activities threatened elk and other wildlife of the area. The Park Service attempted to incorporate the Tetons and surrounding region into Yellowstone Park.

Two years later, reconstruction improved the access around Jackson Lake. When the Park Service lost funding for this elaborate conservation project, Jackson Hole succumbed to commercial plans for logging, mining, and other industries, as well as telephone lines and billboards. Fortunately, Eastern Standard Oil monopolist and philanthropist, John D. Rockefeller, along with his family, visited Jackson Hole later that decade. Sympathizing with preservationists, Rockefeller invested in Jackson Hole, and financed the construction of the Jackson Lake Lodge in 1950. Today, Jackson Lake lies within one of the most visited National Parks in America.

Researched, written, and narrated by University of West Florida Public History Student Michelle Richoll