Old is New

The Jackson Hole History Museum has moved to a new home where you can see 11,000 years of human history in this valley.

// By Samantha Simma. // photography By Erin burk

Natural light streams through the windows of the Jackson Hole History Museum’s main gallery, illuminating artifacts from the past that inform Jackson Hole’s present. Composing chapters of the area’s history are artifacts, videos, and informational panels about the land and geography, community development, conserving and recreating on the land, and contemporary Jackson Hole. These four themes are categorized by interpretive panels, with red panels marking a progressive timeline from 10,000 years ago to the early 2000s.

At 13,000 square feet, the new—it opened this past June—Jackson Hole History Museum campus is nearly double the size of its previous location at 225 N. Cache. “The new campus is purpose-designed and built to beautifully, creatively, and pragmatically accommodate a variety of history-related programs and services while fitting into the surrounding historical downtown architectural context,” says Kirsten Corbett, exhibits and communications director for History Jackson Hole, the nonprofit behind the museum. Planning for the project began in 2019, and the land was purchased in 2020. “For the first time in our 66-year history, we own the building and the land where we operate,” Corbett says. “The new campus is multifaceted, welcoming, and provides room for History Jackson Hole to continue to grow and expand our impact in the community.” 

History Jackson Hole has long been at the forefront of collecting, preserving, and sharing the stories of the valley and its early settlers. Established in 1958, it has grown from a small collection of artifacts and documents into a comprehensive repository of Jackson Hole’s cultural and historical legacy. Today, the organization possesses nearly 50,000 pieces, which include historical objects, documents, photographs, oral history, recordings, and videos that provide insight into the lives of the Native American and white peoples who settled and shaped the Jackson Hole region. “A lot of the interpretative text has been co-written by local historians, researchers, and writers, which helps us tell the inclusive history of Jackson Hole through the folks who know it best,” says Morgan Jaouen, executive director of History Jackson Hole.

“Locals looking to connect with other community members and our shared history and interests as well as visitors interested in orienting themselves to this special place by learning about the people, places, and things that have defined Jackson Hole over time will find the museum of interest,” Corbett says. 

Museum attractions

The Main Gallery explores the various eras of Jackson Hole history via text, artifacts like a Hoback rifle encrusted with river stone from the mid-1800s, video clips of History Jackson Hole’s ABCs of Jackson Hole video series, and interactive kiosks. Text interpretations were compiled from the contributions of 21 community historians, organizations, and authors including Paul Bruun—a local angler, columnist, and Patagonia fly-fishing ambassador—and Robert W. Righter, author of seven books on national park subjects and editor of The Grand Teton Reader, who co-authored the museum’s interpretative panels related to Grand Teton National Park.

Two walls of the main gallery are dedicated to displaying collections of historical photos and artifacts. The 12-foot by 50-foot wall includes large-format photos pulled from History Jackson Hole’s collection of more than 19,600 local photographs. The artifacts wall includes about 60 pieces from the museum’s collection of more than 7,200 artifacts and items on display range from early skis to homesteading tools. “To curate the wall, we selected objects that tell important parts of Jackson Hole history that are unique to our collection,” Corbett says. One artifact that draws a lot of attention is a pair of tall wooden skis owned by Lou Joy, circa 1920. The sheer size of the skis shows how much skiing and ski technology has changed in the last century. Kiosks in this area of the museum enable further exploration of the photos and artifacts on display. Select a photo or artifact you’d like to learn more about from the kiosk’s menu, and detailed information about its history comes up, as well as additional photos and videos that provide more detailed context.

Browse a carefully curated selection of books and gifts with a nod to Western and Jackson Hole history at the Jackson Hole History Museum Store—from postcards featuring historic imagery to spoons crafted from naturally shed animal horns. All of the store’s sales support the nonprofit History Jackson Hole, and the store manager collaborates with staff and fields community suggestions when curating items for the store. For those looking for a unique Jackson Hole souvenir, the store sells cards and stationery by local and regional artists, books by local authors with a historical focus or point of view, and an annual holiday ornament based on a photograph selected from the museum’s collection. 

The museum’s Cissy Patterson Gallery features changing exhibits. Eleanor “Cissy” Patterson, a Chicago newspaper heiress and social celebrity, owned a ranch in Jackson Hole in the early 1900s and is the namesake of the Cissy Patterson Foundation, which is a benefactor of History Jackson Hole. The eponymous gallery highlights community-curated and regional exhibits like Elemental Landscapes: A Celebration of Indigenous Art (on display through January 2025). Shows in this gallery usually change every three to six months. Be on the lookout for museum programming paired with current exhibits that offer deeper insights and interactive opportunities. Yet to be titled, the exhibit following Elemental Landscapes will feature female Western artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

“We’re really excited about the two historic log cabins that are a part of the new museum campus,” says History Jackson Hole executive director Morgan Jaouen. These are the Shane saddle and tack cabin and the Karns cabin. “Our organization has had these buildings for decades now, and this is the first time that they’ll be part of the visitor experience when you come to the museum.” The Shane cabin was one of several structures built in the early 1950s in the community of Kelly for the set of Shane, a classic Western filmed in Jackson Hole. (Go inside the cabin to see clips from Shane and other movies filmed in Jackson Hole.) The Karns cabin was built in 1898 and is the only surviving structure from the Karns homestead. Look inside, and you’ll see early farming and homesteading equipment.

Overlooking the Van Vleck Block greenspace and Broadway Avenue, the Jackson Hole History Museum’s rooftop deck is summer event space that accommodates up to 128 people standing or sitting lecture style. During the summer months, this is where History Jackson Hole hosts its Beers & Banter series, in which it collaborates with community members to present a themed history hour. JH