Historic Downtown Jackson

Sponsored by JH Historical Society and Museum

• Location: Wyoming
• Travel Type: Walking
• Tour Duration: 40 minutes
• Language:

About This Tour
In the first half of the 20th century, the valley of Jackson Hole was the epitome of the Wild West, and the town of Jackson, located at the southern end of the valley, was where all the action was. This was a place full of cowboys and cowboy-wannabe tourists (called “dudes”). Illegal gambling was rampant, community dances lasted all night long, and some bar owners resolved disputes by shooting at their customers.
 
The long, cold, snowy Jackson Hole winters were so harsh that children lived in town by themselves during the week so they could attend school, then went home to do chores on the family ranch on the weekends. What order there was in the town came in part from one of the country’s first all-woman town governments.
 
This walking tour of downtown Jackson highlights local buildings dating back to these dramatic times. As you visit each of these carefully preserved structures, you will learn about the homesteaders and entrepreneurs who built them, fulfilling their dreams of making it on the Western frontier.
 
Tour Highlights Include:
·   The world-renowned Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, where you can swing your leg over a stool made out of a real saddle
·   Jackson Drug’s original soda fountain, still serving homemade ice cream and malts
·   The historic Wort Hotel and its famous Silver Dollar Bar, which is inlaid with real silver dollars
·   The Teton Theater, whose opening film was a silent movie shot in Jackson Hole featuring half the townspeople as extras
·   Original homestead-era buildings, including log cabins from the 1910s
·   A former hotel and “rest house” that were popular with cowboys and seasonal ranch hands
·   And much more!
 
 
Tour Sponsors
This tour is presented by History Jackson Hole, which works to research, conserve and interpret the valley’s history. Visit the Jackson Hole History Museum in downtown Jackson, on the corner of Broadway and Willow, for more fascinating Western history.

This tour was made possible in part by Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, serving the citizens of Wyoming by supporting Wyoming’s culture and heritage.
 
Find More Tours Near You
Interested in taking more TravelStorys audio tours in Jackson Hole? Check out Wildlife Highways in Teton County, Teton Village Experience, Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and Explorers & Native Homelands, among many others. To find more tours wherever your travels take you, visit TravelStorys.com. Every place has a story!