Jackson Hole
August 6-8, 2012: Jackson Hole, originally called Jackson's Hole, is a valley located in Wyoming, near the western border with Idaho. The name "hole" derives from language used by early trappers or mountain men, who primarily entered the valley from the north and east and had to descend along relatively steep slopes, giving the sensation of entering a hole. The valley is thought to have been named after David Edward "Davey" Jackson who trapped beaver in the area in the early nineteenth century as part of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. Though used by Native Americans for hunting and ceremonial purposes, the valley was not known to harbor year-round human settlement prior to the 1870s. The first people to settle the region were Native Americans, then fur trappers, and then homesteaders. Because the soil is not ideal for raising crops, the valley was used for cattle. Tourism quickly became popular with the establishment of dude ranches.
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