NATIONAL PARK SERVICE The Research Station's Place in History

Archaeological evidence substantiates that up to 10,000 years ago Native American families were using northern Jackson Hole in the summer. The known Paleo-Indian material (13,000 — 7,000 years before present) found in Jackson Hole is limited largely to the W.C. Lawrence collection from the north end of Jackson Lake. Evidence reveals that the two earliest cultures recorded in the State, Folsom and Clovis, did not occupy Jackson Hole. Not until 4,500 years ago do prehistoric populations seem to frequent Jackson Hole with any regularity (Love 1977).

One of the Indian seasonal migration routes appears to have connected southeastern Yellowstone with northern Jackson Hole via Pacific Creek. Evidence of small camps along the Snake River from Pacific Creek to the Jackson Lake Dam suggest that families spent a few days gathering plants and fishing on the way to their summer home at the Lawrence Site near Arrowhead Point on Jackson Lake. It has been suggested that these early plant gathering people were Athapaskan speakers, perhaps Apacheans, who abandoned the valley by the early 17th Century (Wright 1977).

Within the vicinity of the Research Station, more than 100 pieces of cultural material were collected, including "small triangular points with side notches, cores, scrapers, knives, flakes of chert, quartzite and obsidian" (Wright 1977). A test pit excavated to the depth of 50 cm at the Research Station in 1974 revealed mostly obsidian cultural material, heavy ash from fires and an edge of a hearth (Wright 1977).

As in Research Station activities, the Snake River played an important part in Indian activities. Confusion and contradiction surrounds the naming of the Snake River but it apparently was named after the Indians who lived along its banks, though the term "Snake" was applied loosely to the Shoshone, Bannock and Paiute Tribes (Linford 1943). Stuart's reference to the Snake River in his journals indicates that the name was in general use by the whites in 1812 (Spaulding 1953).

An outline of a lake which corresponds with Jackson Lake and shown not yet connected with the Snake River appeared on the William Clark map of C. 1809 under the name of "Lake Biddle". Even though Lewis and Clark never saw that part of the country on their transcontinental adventure of 1804-1806, the map showed some understanding of the Teton area (Wheat 1958).

"All the white actors on the Wyoming stage before 1840, with a very few exceptions, were connected with the fur trade." (Larson 1977). Jackson Hole contained major trapper routes and being close to the Green River rendezvous site, it was well known to the fur trappers. Some of the earliest traps used in Jackson Hole have been found in abandoned winter caches of the early trappers (Lawrence 1977). The importance of the fur trade is manifested in the naming of Jackson Hole, Jackson Lake and the twon of Jackson after David E. Jackson, a trapper employed by William H. Ashley along with Jedediah Smith and William L. Sublette in the 1820's (Larson 1977) (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1. Jackson Lake 1897 (Stimson photo collection, Wyo. State Archives & Historical Dept.).

Osborne Russell (1955) provides the earliest description of the vicinity near the Research Station. Between July 28 and August 7, 1836, Russell camped at the outlet of Jackson Lake, "at a small prarie about a mile in circumference. This Lake is about 25 Mls long and 3 wide lying Nth and South bordered on the east by pine swamps and marshes extending from 1 to 2 Mls from the Lake.... This place like all other marshes and swamps among the mountains is infested with innumerable swarms of horse flies and musketoes to the great annoyance of man and beast during the day but the cold air descending from the mountains at night compells them to seek shelter among the leaves and grass at an early hour. Game is plenty and the river and lake abounds with fish." In 1939, Russell spent July 4th at the Jackson Lake outlet: "I caught about 20 very fine salmon trout which together with fat mutton buffaloe beef and coffee and the manner in which it was served up constituted a dinner that ought to be considered independent even by Britons."

Beaver Dick Leigh characterized the explorer-trapper of the waning fur trade days and the early days of permanent settlement in Jackson Hole in the late 1800's. Leigh guided F.V. Hayden during his 1872 surveys for the U.S. Geological Survey. Hayden's Sixth Annual Report published a map of the Snake River and its tributaries noting the Snake River flood plain at the outlet of Jackson Lake (Bonney 1970).

Another government expedition was led by Lt. Gustavus Cheyney Doane who undertook a journey from Fort Ellis, Montana, to Fort Hall, Idaho, starting October 11, 1876. After crossing Yellowstone Park, they attempted to descend by boat from Heart Lake to the Snake River. The situation became worse as they encountered severe winter weather, snow, lack of game and roughness of terrain along the west side of Jackson Lake. Despite the difficulties, Doane was able to describe "Jackson's Lake" as being "ten miles in length and from three to five in width. On the side opposite the Tetons there are marshes and Beaver swamps of great extent." On November 30, 1876, the Doane party reached the outlet of Jackson Lake and "started down the river, making good time as the channel is narrow and the current rapid." (Bonney 1970).

Two government expeditions whose sole purpose appeared to be sight-seeing, big game hunting and fishing camped along the Snake River. The most famous was President Chester A. Arthur's trip from Rawlins, Wyoming, through Yellowstone National Park in 1883. No official public report of the expedition was made and 12 copies of a government pamphlet were printed for the official members of the party (Fabian 1963). Camp No. 11, Camp Hampton, was on the Snake River just south of the confluence of the Buffalo Fork. The next camp was 2 miles south of the south boundary of Yellowstone Park (Haynes 1942). More important to the Research Station site was a trip planned by Dr. W.S. Webb for big game hunting in the Jackson Lake country. Personnel of the expedition included General Coppinger (U.S.A., commanding the Department of the Platte), 3 lieutenants, guides, scouts, packmaster, cook, wagonerians, teamsters, 24 enlisted men of the Ninth Cavalry, etc. There were about 50 persons, 4 wagons and 20 army pack mules. Dr. Webb privately published the diary of the expedition with many excellent photographs taken by F.J. Haynes, official photographer of Yellowstone Park (Webb 1896). On September 20, 1896, they camped in the meadow east of the Research Station (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2. Meadow east of the Research Station with the slope of Signal Mountain and the Research Station site in the background (Diary, W.S. Webb, 1896).