Jackson Hole’s Buried History (Second Edition)

Inaccessibility and brutal winters delayed the European settlement of Jackson Hole. Uncompromisingly raw frontier into the late 19th century, the first adult known to be buried in Jackson Hole wasn’t until 1905; if you don’t count the two 1892 Cunningham Cabin outlaws buried in one shallow grave. Nearly all the cemeteries in Jackson Hole can qualify as “pioneer cemeteries.” Many of the earliest settlers were still around well into the 20th century. Over twenty cemeteries and grave sites, which the author identifies and describes, are populated with those pioneers, along with a share of colorful frontier rabble, and notable folks from more recent times—artists, authors, biologists, conservationists, cowboys, dude ranchers, entrepreneurs, Olympian athletes, mountaineers, and more. The cemeteries and lone graves bear witness to the winds of change that have swept through Jackson Hole. In any case, an element of the local population has always been proud to be as unruly and unconventional as its final resting places.