Cunningham Cabin

In the early 1900's, homesteaders faced harsh conditions to build a life in Jackson Hole.

NPS Photo/C. Adams

Quick Facts

Amenities

2 listed

Audio Description, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

Take a step back to a time when early homesteaders like J. Pierce Cunningham were working to build a life in Jackson Hole. Years before the creation of the park, homesteaders made their way to this valley to work the land, make some money, and survive the harsh conditions. While many original cabins and homesteads are no longer standing, Cunningham Cabin remains as evidence of pioneer life.

J. Pierce Cunningham established the Bar Flying U Ranch in the 1880s. This "dogtrot" style cabin was common in eastern states, consisting of two small cabins joined with an open, covered breezeway. Cunningham chose this land because silt sediments deposited from an ancient glacial formed soil that retained moisture and provided better nutrients for raising lush grasses and forbs. An agricultural depression, a budding conservation movement, and the hardships of ranching led Cunningham to sell his land to the Snake River Land Company in 1928 and retire to Victor, Idaho.

Name Origin

Homestead owned by J. Pierce and Margaret Cunningham.