Jackson Hole Valley 09/22/20

Today marked the final day of our 4 day planned trip to Jackson Hole, WY. We left the Deep South in Wetumpka, drove through the Ozarks in Arkansas, traveled through the Cherokee tribal lands in Oklahoma, crossed the wheat fields of Kansas, drove through Colorado to the edge of the Rocky Mountains, and then turned north to the home of University of Wyoming, located in Laramie, WY. Today we drove to Jackson, WY.

For those of you who don't know or maybe forgot, the University of Wyoming was the last stop of Coach Pat Dye. He left the Cowboys and came to Auburn and the rest is Auburn history.

On our drive to Jackson, we crossed the Oregon Trail and the Lander Cutoff. The Oregon trail was 2170 miles long and spanned Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, and the Oregon Valley. Thousands upon thousands of immigrants braved the hardships of this trail in hopes of establishing a new life in the West. The Lander Cutoff was able to save 5 days on the length of this trip. The hardship it saved the travelers is unbelievable.

Many people think Jackson Hole is the city. The truth is, Jackson is really the name of the city. It is located in the valley of Jackson Hole. Jackson is popularly thought of as the gateway to Yellowstone, the oldest national park in the U.S. Park system. Yellowstone became a national park in 1872, 18 years before Wyoming became a state. Actually, it is more the gateway to the Grand Teton National Park. Regardless, it is a fun place to be and a lot is going on here.

The National Elk Refuge is located here. It is home to about 7500 elk. The Grand Teton National Park and the Elk Preserve make up 97% of the land in Teton County. The other 3% is privately held.

Come to Jackson, enjoy the scenery, enjoy the wildlife, enjoy the history. Our history will continue tomorrow when Amanda and Harry fly into Jackson.