GRTE-N-1

Research Report GRTE-N-1 The Elk of Grand Teton and Southern Yellowstone National Parks

History

Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872. The main east face of the Teton Mountain Range became Grand Teton National Park in Northern Jackson Hole valley lands and adjoining mountain areas were given national monument status in 1943. These were incorporated into the present boundaries of Grand Teton in 1950. The Forest Service assumed jurisdiction over its lands in 1897.

The following summary of Jackson Hole history is largely from Hayden (1956). The region was originally a summer hunting ground for Bannock, Shoshone, and Crow Indians. Organized fur trapping occurred from about 1811 to 1840. After the collapse of the fur trade only occasional expedition parties, trappers, gold prospectors, and hunters visited the region. First permanent settlement occurred in 1884 and the human population reached 65 persons in 1889. Settlers increased and cattle raising became the chief industry. Cattle numbers increased from about 3,000 head in 1910 to about 15,000 by 1935 and have remained relatively stable since this date. More fertile valley lands were developed as hayfields.

Wyoming became a state in 1890. It established a 10-month closed season on elk in 1895. A 570,000-acre area north of the Jackson Hole valley to the south boundary of Yellowstone was established as a game preserve in 1905. A brief period of illegal "tusk hunting" prompted local vigilante action. A hunting guide and outfitting industry was operative in 1895. This and a later developing dude ranch industry continue to the present.

Publicized elk dieoffs during severe winters and conflicts between elk and livestock-raising operations led to the establishment of the National Elk Refuge in 1913. The refuge did not reach its present size of about 22,700 acres until 1950. The Forest Service started to exclude cattle and horse grazing from important elk wintering areas on public lands in 1919. Many of the smaller ranchers unsuccessfully petitioned Congress to make the Jackson Hole valley a recreational area in 1925. The Wyoming Legislature passed a game damage law in 1939 which allowed claims for elk damage.

Yellowstone Superintendents reported that highly organized market hunting, poaching, and extremely liberal legal hunting occurred inside the the park before 1894. The more remote southern portions of the park, like the Jackson Hole area, probably escaped this exploitive era. The Lacey Act of 1894 established laws and fines to protect Yellowstone wildlife. Comparatively few tourists visited the parks until after World War II. Visits greatly increased after 1946 and tourism became the major industry in the general region bordering Grand Teton and Yellowstone Parks (Rajender et al., 1967)

Last Modified: Tues, Jan 20 2004 10:00:00 pm PDT
http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/fauna8/fauna1b.htm