Living History

Buildings in Jackson Hole 

// By Emily Cohen

Straddling a saddle at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, customers can imbibe a whisky on the rocks and drink in the bar’s distinct aesthetic, which includes knobbled pine, taxidermied wildlife, and illuminated murals of Western grandeur. The honky-tonk establishment embodies some of the region’s most iconic historic architecture—both inside and out. It’s a holdover from Jackson’s earliest tourism days in the 1930s and is recognized as a landmark by the Teton County Historic Preservation Board.

The mission of this nine-member volunteer board is to identify, protect, and preserve Teton County’s architectural and archaeological heritage to ensure respectful planning and development that preserves our sense of place and community character. Some of the historic properties in the region conjure “Wild West” imagery—not just log cabins, but also wooden facades with false fronts, overhangs, porches, and boardwalks. Any building older than 50 years can be considered historic, as long as it also meets integrity and significance criteria: Does it reflect the period in which it was built? Has it been significantly modified or changed? Did an important local live there, or did the building represent something important to the area’s history? By these standards, mid-20th-century buildings like the Alpenhof Lodge in Teton Village (built in 1965) and Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park (built in 1955) have merited recognition.

While some of the region’s historic buildings are a clear nod to the booming tourism industry, Maggie Moore, an art historian and TCHPB member, describes the region’s earliest architecture—from the 1880s—as “scrappy.” That’s because the region’s settlers had to make do with limited resources. Building supplies were hard to come by. There was no railroad, so materials were brought in over Teton Pass. “And that was just never easy. It was easier just to make do with what you had from the local landscape,” says Moore. That making do meant sourcing wood from the area’s plentiful lodgepole pine. To this day, Jackson’s architecture remains distinct—even from other towns in Wyoming like Lander and Laramie—both of which developed along the railroad—where masonry and main streets define the aesthetic. 

In recent years, development has changed Jackson Hole, making the urgency to preserve the region’s history even more pressing. Moore says that in the decade she’s lived in Jackson, the built landscape has changed a lot. In 2021, the Town of Jackson passed regulations to incentivize property owners to preserve the historic integrity and Western character of the downtown area around the Town Square. It complements the preservation efforts underway elsewhere in the county, including in Grand Teton National Park. 

Some of the historic properties in the region conjure “Wild West” imagery—not just log cabins, but also wooden facades with false fronts, overhangs, porches, and boardwalks. 

Property owners voluntarily petition the historic preservation board to list their property. The board then reviews the property’s historical records and architectural plans, and sometimes even conducts physical inspections. Buildings that have been altered or are not in their exact original state may still qualify if they retain significant historical or architectural value. Once a property is approved, the building is under a protective easement, and any modifications, relocations, and additions have to be approved by the preservation board. 

There are 14 properties on the historic register within the town of Jackson and 62 properties and districts elsewhere within the county. By safeguarding these properties, the board hopes the region’s rich history is more than a charming nod to the past, but also an integral part of its future.

1. Ed Coe ran a blacksmith shop from approximately 1930 to 1936. It is not known whether he built the building (which today is home to King Sushi), whether it was already on the site, or whether it was moved to this location. Moving and repurposing structures was, and to some extent still is, a relatively common occurrence in Jackson Hole. Coe’s residence was just next door, at the corner of Pearl Avenue and King Street. According to the shop’s historical survey, its closing in 1936 was a sign that the town was no longer oriented to the needs of a rural society—“indications of progress and growth but also tragedy,” it said.
75 S. King St., Jackson

2. Built in 1965, The Alpenhof is a nod to German and Swiss ski chalets and is one of the only remaining examples of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort’s original style. Dominating the building’s exterior are pitched roofs and balconies embellished with ornate balusters, and in the summer, flower boxes filled with pink petunias. Visitors can dine on classic German dishes like wiener schnitzel, bratwurst, and pretzels in the lodge’s restaurant or retire for the night in cozy rooms adorned with hand-carved bed frames and Tyrolean decor. 3255 Village Dr., Teton Village

3. Accessible via a 2.7-mile out-and-back cross-country ski or snowshoe, Whitegrass Ranch was once an active dude ranch. The property hosted guests from 1919 to 1985 and at times also served as a farm for silver fox pelts. When the ranch was turned over to Grand Teton National Park in 1986, the National Park Service first aimed to return it to its natural setting by removing irrigation systems, fencing, a manmade pond, and all of the buildings. But, in 1990, before the ranch’s 13 remaining log cabins were removed, ideas about historic preservation shifted, and the Whitegrass was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Today the ranch, with its historic cabins, is home to the Western Center for Historic Preservation, where craftspeople from park service units across the country come to train in preservation techniques for Western rustic architecture. 1168 Whitegrass Ranch Rd., Moose

4. Considered a well-preserved example of residential structures constructed in the early period of Jackson settlement—a time when land was plentiful but building materials were limited—the Wort House was the home of one of the valley’s most influential families. The exact date of the home’s construction is unknown, but the Worts, who founded the Wort Hotel in downtown, acquired it in 1933. Though log construction, the home’s exterior was covered in clapboard siding for many decades, and was only recently restored to its original design. 155 W. Pearl Ave., Jackson

5. Built between 1930 and 1945 as part of a working ranch on the south side of Highway 22 near the base of Teton Pass, the Hardeman Barn complex includes a main barn, bunkhouse, pump house, horse barn, and bull barn. Each of the log-constructed buildings features Scandinavian-style board and batten siding on the gable ends. The prominent main barn, with its dramatic Gothic arch roof, was built by Wesley Bircher, a notable builder responsible for several barns in the area. The buildings sit on approximately 27 acres of protected open space, conserved by an easement held by the Jackson Hole Land Trust. The property is now home to the Teton Raptor Center. 5450 Wyoming Hwy 22, Wilson JH