Jenny Lake Ranger Station Historic District
Encyclopedia
The Jenny Lake Ranger Station Historic District comprises an area that was the main point of visitor contact in Grand Teton National Park
from the 1930's to 1960. Located near Jenny Lake
, the buildings are a mixture of purpose-built structures and existing buildings that were adapted for use by the National Park Service
. The ranger station was built as a cabin by Lee Mangus north of Moose, Wyoming
about 1925 and was moved and rebuilt around 1930 for Park Service use. A store was built by a concessioner, and comfort stations were built to Park Service standard plans. All buildings were planned to the prevailing National Park Service Rustic
style, although the ranger station and the photo shop were built from parts of buildings located elsewhere in the park.
in 1930 and moved to the present site. The small rectangular log cabin features a log pole front porch, with decorative half-log sheathing in a V-pattern on its gable.
in 1925-26 and moved to the Jenny Lake site after Harrison Crandall's property was purchased by the Park Service in 1931. The studio operated at Jenny Lake until 1958, when the Grand Teton Lodge Company bought out Crandall's concession contract. Crandall, a Kansan, arrived in Jackson Hole in 1921. He returned the following year with his wife Hildegarde, and established a homestead claim in 1923 near the present Jenny Lake Lodge
, where he built the cabin. Crandall sold scenic pictures of the Tetons as well as souvenir shots of dudes at the many dude ranches in Jackson Hole. Crandall also painted, his work appearing in magazines and collected by John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
The studio-visitor center consists of two main rooms in a long, deep log structure, with a high open ceiling lighted by clerestory
windows in roof monitors.
labor, based at Jenny Lake CCC Camp NP-4
.
facilities at Moose, which themselves have recently been replaced by newer facilities. The Crandall Studio, formerly used is a book and gift store by the Grand Teton Association, as well as functioning as a small visitor center. The ranger station is no longer a primary visitor contact point, a function now fulfilled by the Crandall Studio, but the comfort stations remain in use. The ranger station is now used as a base for climbing rangers and to issue climbing permits. The district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
on April 23, 1990.
Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park is a United States National Park located in northwestern Wyoming, U.S. The Park consists of approximately and includes the major peaks of the long Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. Only south of Yellowstone...
from the 1930's to 1960. Located near Jenny Lake
Jenny Lake
Jenny Lake is located in Grand Teton National Park in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The lake was formed approximately 12,000 years ago by glaciers pushing rock debris which carved Cascade Canyon during the last glacial maximum, forming a terminal moraine which now impounds the lake. The lake is...
, the buildings are a mixture of purpose-built structures and existing buildings that were adapted for use by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
. The ranger station was built as a cabin by Lee Mangus north of Moose, Wyoming
Moose, Wyoming
Moose is an unincorporated community in Teton County, Wyoming, United States, in the Jackson Hole valley. It has a US Post Office, with the zip code of 83012. The town is located within Grand Teton National Park along the banks of the Snake River...
about 1925 and was moved and rebuilt around 1930 for Park Service use. A store was built by a concessioner, and comfort stations were built to Park Service standard plans. All buildings were planned to the prevailing National Park Service Rustic
National Park Service Rustic
National Park Service rustic, also colloquially known as Parkitecture, is a style of architecture that arose in the United States National Park System to create buildings that harmonized with their natural environment. Since its founding, the National Park Service consistently has sought to provide...
style, although the ranger station and the photo shop were built from parts of buildings located elsewhere in the park.
Ranger Station
The ranger station was reconstructed from a cabin originally built by Lee Manges about 1925 which was acquired by the National Park ServiceNational Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
in 1930 and moved to the present site. The small rectangular log cabin features a log pole front porch, with decorative half-log sheathing in a V-pattern on its gable.
Crandall Studio
The Crandall Photo Studio was built just east of String LakeString Lake
String Lake is located in Grand Teton National Park, in the U. S. state of Wyoming. The natural lake is located at the outflow of Leigh Lake. A small wetland area is on the northwest side of the lake and is prime moose habitat. A short half mile long creek connects String Lake to Jenny Lake to the...
in 1925-26 and moved to the Jenny Lake site after Harrison Crandall's property was purchased by the Park Service in 1931. The studio operated at Jenny Lake until 1958, when the Grand Teton Lodge Company bought out Crandall's concession contract. Crandall, a Kansan, arrived in Jackson Hole in 1921. He returned the following year with his wife Hildegarde, and established a homestead claim in 1923 near the present Jenny Lake Lodge
Jenny Lake Lodge
The Jenny Lake Lodge is a luxury resort concession in Grand Teton National Park. Located close to the base of the Teton Range at Jenny Lake, the resort as operated since the 1920s, when Tony Grace established the Danny Ranch, a dude ranch, on the site, with two rental cabins....
, where he built the cabin. Crandall sold scenic pictures of the Tetons as well as souvenir shots of dudes at the many dude ranches in Jackson Hole. Crandall also painted, his work appearing in magazines and collected by John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
John Davison Rockefeller, Jr. was a major philanthropist and a pivotal member of the prominent Rockefeller family. He was the sole son among the five children of businessman and Standard Oil industrialist John D. Rockefeller and the father of the five famous Rockefeller brothers...
The studio-visitor center consists of two main rooms in a long, deep log structure, with a high open ceiling lighted by clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
windows in roof monitors.
Comfort Stations
The comfort stations were built in 1934 and 1935 from Park Service standard plans by Civilian Conservation CorpsCivilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
labor, based at Jenny Lake CCC Camp NP-4
Jenny Lake CCC Camp NP-4
CCC Camp NP-4, also known as the Horse Concessioner Dormitory and the Climbing Concession Office, at Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park was the largest Civilian Conservation Corps camp in Grand Teton...
.
Present use
The district still serves as a point of visitor contact, but was superseded as the primary contact center with the construction of Mission 66Mission 66
Mission 66 was a US National Park Service ten-year program that was intended to dramatically expand Park Service visitor services by 1966, in time for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Park Service....
facilities at Moose, which themselves have recently been replaced by newer facilities. The Crandall Studio, formerly used is a book and gift store by the Grand Teton Association, as well as functioning as a small visitor center. The ranger station is no longer a primary visitor contact point, a function now fulfilled by the Crandall Studio, but the comfort stations remain in use. The ranger station is now used as a base for climbing rangers and to issue climbing permits. The district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on April 23, 1990.
External links
- Jenny Lake Historic District at Grand Teton National Park
- Jenny Lake Ranger Station at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office