Snake River Ranch
Encyclopedia
The Snake River Ranch, near Wilson, Wyoming
, is the largest deeded ranch in the Jackson Hole area. The ranch buildings are grouped into three complexes comprising headquarters, residential and shop complexes. The ranch combined two neighboring homesteads and was first owned by advertising executive Stanley B. Resor
and his wife, Helen Lansdowne Resor
. The Resors used the property as a vacation home, but the ranch was also a full-time, self-sustaining operation.
The ranch could produce its own food, water and electricity. It became significant for the Resor's employment of notable architects, include Mies van der Rohe, and the wide variety of celebrity visitors it attracted. The Snake River Ranch was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 2004.
, convenient to the JWT
offices in New York City
. In 1929 Stanley and Helen's twelve year old son Stanley Rogers Resor
spent part of the summer in Jackson Hole with the Huyler family, who had bought a ranch on the Snake River. The younger Stanley's enthusiasm about his experience led his father to buy 400 acres (161.9 ha) of land, sight unseen. The entire family arrived in 1930 to see one pre-existing cabin, a barn, and what would become known as the One-Room Cabin and the Parking Lot Cabin. The family was enthusiastic about the ranch, tempered by Helen's preference for New York. To begin expanding the ranch the Resors hired architect Paul Colborn of New Canaan, Connecticut
to design a new main house. Work was well under way by the end of the summer, and Colborn ended up buying land for himself as well, which became known as the Aspen Ranch. The Resor property reputedly had the first flush toilets in Jackson Hole, as well as electricity generated on site.
Stanley Resor became enthusiastic about building a functioning ranch operation. During 1931 Resor established the ranch as a self-sustaining unit. He pulled down the old barn and hired landscape architect Isabelle Pendleton to lay out the headquarters complex. In 1933 a water wheel was added to the side of the ranch's pumphouse, which proved troublesome when it froze in the winter. In 1938 a Fitz turbine was installed in its place, to provide electricity, and was not retired until 1955. In the late 1930s the ranch infrastructure was further developed with the building of the shop complex.
, and was on the board of directors of MOMA along with Helen Lansdowne Resor. The cabin's white interior lent it its name. Soon after, Helen asked architect Mark Peters, a relative of one of the younger Resor's school classmates, to "design a building in the style of Le Corbusier
." The dining room, as it was called, was to span the mill stream, the arm of the Snake River that fed the power turbine, resting on four concrete piers. At some point Helen Resor lost confidence in the Peters design and sought another architect. She apparently turned to MOMA director Alfred Barr
for advice. As a result of internal divisions within the MOMA board, which was divided between a faction led by Abby Rockefeller who supported Stone and Goodwin for the new MOMA building and a faction led by Barr and Resor who supported Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
, Helen Resor hired Mies to complete the dining room, his first project in the United States. The Resors also considered Walter Gropius
but settled on Mies as a more practical choice. In the summer of 1937 the Resors met Mies in Paris, and he accompanied them back across the Atlantic for his first trip to the United States, stopping in Chicago
before going on the Wyoming. Mies stayed in the White Cabin, sharing it for a time with, ironically, artist Grant Wood
, a figurative painter of American themes. Mies stayed for two months before moving back to Chicago to be offered the directorship of the Armour Institute of Technology.
Back in Chicago, Mies developed elaborate plans for a two story building connecting the banks of the stream using long floor-to-ceiling windows. The only concession Mies made to the Western aesthetic of the ranch was to use wood to clad the building, for the first and only time in his career. However, rather than the Resor's preferred local lodgepole pine
, Mies settled on cypress
. Mies did choose to use local fieldstone
for the ground level walls, the fireplace and central stairs. By March 1938, Mies was returning to Germany on the RMS Queen Mary
when he received notice from Stanley Resor that the project was canceled, citing "business conditions." Resor suggested that the project might continue of Mies returned to the United States and worked with an American architect familiar with American construction practices. The project was projected to cost more than twice its budget, and there were technical difficulties with the proposed glazing. By the fall of 1938, Mies had returned to Chicago and had resumed work on the project, scaling it back somewhat, but it was finally canceled. Whatever the outcome of the design work at the Resor's ranch, the project played a significant role in Mies' departure from Germany just prior to the outbreak of war with a regime that was hostile to Modernist architecture.
(actually two ranches), and four more in the main valley, all totaling 5100 acres (2,063.9 ha), second only to the Snake River Land Company
.
A major flood in 1943 was the result of water unexpectedly released by Jackson Lake Dam
. The flood destroyed the millstream headgate and the power house, and flooded the White Cabin with 2 foot (0.6096 m) of water. The piers for the proposed dining room were upset. Had the dining room addition been built, it would have been damaged or destroyed. As a result of the flood Resor, on the advice of Arthur Ernest Morgan
, consulted with engineer C.C. Chambers, who designed a dike system for the ranch. The dike project was hampered by a wartime labor shortage, which affected ranch operations as well. Resor increasingly mechanized the ranch as a result.
By the time of Stanley Resor's death in 1962, the operation was mature. The ranch remains in the Resor family.
to the ranch's irrigation ditch. Structures include the
.
to sell 208 acres (84.2 ha) of inholdings to Grand Teton National Park
.
Wilson, Wyoming
Wilson is a census-designated place in Teton County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 1,294 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Jackson, WY–ID Micropolitan Statistical Area...
, is the largest deeded ranch in the Jackson Hole area. The ranch buildings are grouped into three complexes comprising headquarters, residential and shop complexes. The ranch combined two neighboring homesteads and was first owned by advertising executive Stanley B. Resor
Stanley B. Resor
Stanley Burnet Resor led the J. Walter Thompson advertising firm in the mid-twentieth century. Collaborating with his wife, Helen Lansdowne Resor, who was the creator of some of the most memorable advertising campaigns of the time, he built the firm into one of the leading firms in the United...
and his wife, Helen Lansdowne Resor
Helen Lansdowne Resor
Helen Bayless Lansdowne Resor was an American advertising executive with J. Walter Thompson Co.. A noted copywriter, she was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame in 1967. She was named #14 on the list of 100 Advertising people of the 20th Century by Advertising Age.She married her husband...
. The Resors used the property as a vacation home, but the ranch was also a full-time, self-sustaining operation.
The ranch could produce its own food, water and electricity. It became significant for the Resor's employment of notable architects, include Mies van der Rohe, and the wide variety of celebrity visitors it attracted. The Snake River Ranch was listed 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...
in 2004.
History
The Resors' primary home was in Greenwich, ConnecticutGreenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
, convenient to the JWT
JWT
JWT is one of the largest advertising agencies in the United States and the fourth-largest in the world. It is one of the key companies of Sir Martin Sorrell's WPP Group and is headquartered in New York. The global agency is led by Worldwide Chairman and Global CEO Bob Jeffrey who took over the...
offices in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In 1929 Stanley and Helen's twelve year old son Stanley Rogers Resor
Stanley Rogers Resor
Stanley Rogers Resor is a former lawyer, U.S. military officer, and government official.Born in New York City, he was the son of Stanley B. Resor , president of the J. W. Thompson advertising agency and one of the originators of the modern advertising industry...
spent part of the summer in Jackson Hole with the Huyler family, who had bought a ranch on the Snake River. The younger Stanley's enthusiasm about his experience led his father to buy 400 acres (161.9 ha) of land, sight unseen. The entire family arrived in 1930 to see one pre-existing cabin, a barn, and what would become known as the One-Room Cabin and the Parking Lot Cabin. The family was enthusiastic about the ranch, tempered by Helen's preference for New York. To begin expanding the ranch the Resors hired architect Paul Colborn of New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, northeast of Stamford, on the Fivemile River. The population was 19,738 according to the 2010 census.The town is one of the most affluent communities in the United States...
to design a new main house. Work was well under way by the end of the summer, and Colborn ended up buying land for himself as well, which became known as the Aspen Ranch. The Resor property reputedly had the first flush toilets in Jackson Hole, as well as electricity generated on site.
Stanley Resor became enthusiastic about building a functioning ranch operation. During 1931 Resor established the ranch as a self-sustaining unit. He pulled down the old barn and hired landscape architect Isabelle Pendleton to lay out the headquarters complex. In 1933 a water wheel was added to the side of the ranch's pumphouse, which proved troublesome when it froze in the winter. In 1938 a Fitz turbine was installed in its place, to provide electricity, and was not retired until 1955. In the late 1930s the ranch infrastructure was further developed with the building of the shop complex.
Mies van der Rohe
In 1936 the Resors built the White Cabin for guest quarters. The White Cabin was designed by Philip Goodwin, who would worked with Edward Durrell Stone on the Museum of Modern ArtMuseum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, and was on the board of directors of MOMA along with Helen Lansdowne Resor. The cabin's white interior lent it its name. Soon after, Helen asked architect Mark Peters, a relative of one of the younger Resor's school classmates, to "design a building in the style of Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
." The dining room, as it was called, was to span the mill stream, the arm of the Snake River that fed the power turbine, resting on four concrete piers. At some point Helen Resor lost confidence in the Peters design and sought another architect. She apparently turned to MOMA director Alfred Barr
Alfred Barr
Alfred Hamilton Barr, Jr. , known as Alfred H. Barr, Jr., was an American art historian and the first director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City...
for advice. As a result of internal divisions within the MOMA board, which was divided between a faction led by Abby Rockefeller who supported Stone and Goodwin for the new MOMA building and a faction led by Barr and Resor who supported Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was a German architect. He is commonly referred to and addressed as Mies, his surname....
, Helen Resor hired Mies to complete the dining room, his first project in the United States. The Resors also considered Walter Gropius
Walter Gropius
Walter Adolph Georg Gropius was a German architect and founder of the Bauhaus School who, along with Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier, is widely regarded as one of the pioneering masters of modern architecture....
but settled on Mies as a more practical choice. In the summer of 1937 the Resors met Mies in Paris, and he accompanied them back across the Atlantic for his first trip to the United States, stopping in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
before going on the Wyoming. Mies stayed in the White Cabin, sharing it for a time with, ironically, artist Grant Wood
Grant Wood
Grant DeVolson Wood was an American painter, born four miles east of Anamosa, Iowa. He is best known for his paintings depicting the rural American Midwest, particularly the painting American Gothic, an iconic image of the 20th century.- Life and career :His family moved to Cedar Rapids after his...
, a figurative painter of American themes. Mies stayed for two months before moving back to Chicago to be offered the directorship of the Armour Institute of Technology.
Back in Chicago, Mies developed elaborate plans for a two story building connecting the banks of the stream using long floor-to-ceiling windows. The only concession Mies made to the Western aesthetic of the ranch was to use wood to clad the building, for the first and only time in his career. However, rather than the Resor's preferred local lodgepole pine
Lodgepole Pine
Lodgepole Pine, Pinus contorta, also known as Shore Pine, is a common tree in western North America. Like all pines, it is evergreen.-Subspecies:...
, Mies settled on cypress
Cypress
Cypress is the name applied to many plants in the cypress family Cupressaceae, which is a conifer of northern temperate regions. Most cypress species are trees, while a few are shrubs...
. Mies did choose to use local fieldstone
Fieldstone
Fieldstone is a building construction material. Strictly speaking, it is stone collected from the surface of fields where it occurs naturally...
for the ground level walls, the fireplace and central stairs. By March 1938, Mies was returning to Germany on the RMS Queen Mary
RMS Queen Mary
RMS Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner that sailed primarily in the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard Line...
when he received notice from Stanley Resor that the project was canceled, citing "business conditions." Resor suggested that the project might continue of Mies returned to the United States and worked with an American architect familiar with American construction practices. The project was projected to cost more than twice its budget, and there were technical difficulties with the proposed glazing. By the fall of 1938, Mies had returned to Chicago and had resumed work on the project, scaling it back somewhat, but it was finally canceled. Whatever the outcome of the design work at the Resor's ranch, the project played a significant role in Mies' departure from Germany just prior to the outbreak of war with a regime that was hostile to Modernist architecture.
Ranch operations
Stanley Resor developed the ranch into an efficient operation that could run without his direct management. By 1938 Resor's holdings included the Lower Ranch, 14 miles (22.5 km) south of Wilson, WyomingWilson, Wyoming
Wilson is a census-designated place in Teton County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 1,294 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Jackson, WY–ID Micropolitan Statistical Area...
(actually two ranches), and four more in the main valley, all totaling 5100 acres (2,063.9 ha), second only to the Snake River Land Company
Snake River Land Company
The Snake River Land Company was a land purchasing company established in 1927 by philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr.. The company acted as a front so Rockefeller could buy land in the Jackson Hole valley in Wyoming without people knowing of his involvement or his intentions for the property,...
.
A major flood in 1943 was the result of water unexpectedly released by Jackson Lake Dam
Jackson Lake Dam
Jackson Lake Dam is a concrete and earth-fill dam at the outlet of Jackson Lake in northwestern Wyoming, USA. The lake and dam are situated within Grand Teton National Park in Teton County. The Snake River emerges from the dam and flows about through Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington to its...
. The flood destroyed the millstream headgate and the power house, and flooded the White Cabin with 2 foot (0.6096 m) of water. The piers for the proposed dining room were upset. Had the dining room addition been built, it would have been damaged or destroyed. As a result of the flood Resor, on the advice of Arthur Ernest Morgan
Arthur Ernest Morgan
Arthur Ernest Morgan was a civil engineer, U.S. administrator, and educator. He was the design engineer for the Miami Conservancy District flood control system and oversaw construction. He served as the president of Antioch College between 1920 and 1936...
, consulted with engineer C.C. Chambers, who designed a dike system for the ranch. The dike project was hampered by a wartime labor shortage, which affected ranch operations as well. Resor increasingly mechanized the ranch as a result.
By the time of Stanley Resor's death in 1962, the operation was mature. The ranch remains in the Resor family.
Shop complex
The shop complex is at the north end of the site. The complex is the location of the headgate inlet from the Snake RiverSnake River
The Snake is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...
to the ranch's irrigation ditch. Structures include the
- Cowboy Barn (Harnessing Barn) 1931-1937
- Scale House
- Dipping Vat, late 1930s
- Snake River Dike and Heagate, constructed after flooding in 1943
- Calving Barn (Vet Shack)
- Fuel Shed (Turkey Coop), early 1930s
Ranch Headquarters Complex
The ranch headquarters complex is the next compound to the south and is arranged in a rectangle around a central open area. The site and buildings were designed by architect Isabelle Pendleton to frame a view of the Teton RangeTeton Range
The Teton Range is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in North America. A north-south range, it is on the Wyoming side of the state's border with Idaho, just south of Yellowstone National Park. Most of the range is in Grand Teton National Park....
.
- Root Cellar
- Potting Shed
- Blacksmith Shop
- Office (Bunkhouse) (1935, rebuilt in 1970s after a fire, non-contributing due to recent construction compared to other elements)
- Woodshed (Coal House)
- Manager's House), 1931
- Ice House, 1933
- Milk House, 1931
- Turbine House and Dam, 1938
- Penthouse (Old Shop and Bunkhouse). 1943
- Main Barn, 1931
- Saddle House
Residential Complex
The southernmost group of buildings was used for family and guest quarters.- Main Cabin, designed by Paul Colborn
- Kitchen Cabin, 1916–1917, expanded 1930s and 1960s.
- White Cabin, 1936, designed by Philip L. Goodwin
- Parking Lot Cabin, 1930
- Swimming Pool, circa 1936
- Mies van der Rohe building piers, intended to support a dining room spanning the mill stream designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The piers are 40 feet (12.2 m) long, 3 foot (0.9144 m) thick and 30 feet (9.1 m) from their below-grade bearing to the top. The piers were to support a two story structure. The building project was halted in 1938 and damaged by flooding in 1943.
Conservation
In December 2007 the Hauge, Laughlin and Resor families donated conservation easements totaling 360 acres (145.7 ha) on the north side of Munger Mountain to the Jackson Hole Land Trust, adjoining a previous 80 acres (32.4 ha) easement. The lands came from the Lower Snake River Ranch property. The family has also negotiated with 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...
to sell 208 acres (84.2 ha) of inholdings to Grand Teton National Park
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...
.
External links
- Grand Teton Historic Resource Study: Tourists National Park Service
- Photographs of the Snake River Ranch at the National Park Service's NRHP database
- Snake River Ranch Historic District at the Wyoming State Historic Presevation Office