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Ever want to step back in time and see what downtown Jackson Hole might have looked like in the ’40s through the ’60s?

Old post cards and other ephemera can do just that! Maps, brochures, guides and other printed materials are a treasure trove of history. With the aid of the Internet and sites like eBay, it is relatively easy to find and usually not that expensive. I buy them when I can. This page contains shots of old downtown, mostly of businesses on Broadway and Cache. In the future, I’ll try to add another page of Hotel/Motel postcards and other types of businesses. In case you are not familiar with the term, here’s the definition of ephemera:

EPHEMERA 1 : something of no lasting significance —usually used in plural 2 ephemera plural : paper items (as posters, broadsides, and tickets) that were originally meant to be discarded after use but have since become collectible. (Source: merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ephemera)

As in today, very few postcards are printed without a date on them. They could sell them for years without the dates. Of course, the town changed regularly, dating them none the less. A car buff could probably date the cards to some degree by simply studying the make and model of the vehicles. Under each of the postcards, I’ve added the obligatory text and any kind of information identifying the photographer or company. I’ve also added the street and direction of view.

Looking south if standing at the intersection of Deloney and Cache.

JACKSON, WYOMING: Located in the shadow of the towering Teton Range, Jackson is the county for Teton County, Wyoming, and the commercial center for the entire Jackson Hole area, “The Last of Old West”. : Mike Roberts, Intermountain Tourist Supply, Inc, Salt Lake City 1, Utah

Looking north if standing at the intersection of Broadway and Cache.

#4162 — Street scene in Jackson along the west side of the town square. This picturesque western town is the supply point for the Jackson Hole Region, Wyoming. : Genuine Natural Color Made by DEXTER PRESS, Inc., West Nyack, N.Y.

Looking south if standing at the intersection of Deloney and Cache.

S-335X  JACKSON, WYOMING – Looking south along U.S. Hwys. 26, 89, and 187 toward Snow King Mountain. Jackson is famous for its Old West Atmosphere and is gateway to Grand Teton National Park. : Published by Seaich Card and Souvenir Corp., Salt Lake City

Looking east if standing a block and a half west of Broadway and Cache. Glenwood is the close intersection.

C-408-MAIN STREET, JACKSON, WYO. – Jackson has some of the finest western outfitter stores and great many modern hotels and motels. Shown here is the Wort Hotel, one of the best in the Jackson Hole region. : Published by Cooper Post Card Co, Lakewood, Colo.

Looking south if standing at the intersection of Deloney and Cache.

JACKSON WYOMING: Located in the shadow of the towering Teton Range, Jackson is the county for Teton County, Wyoming, and the commercial center for the entire Jackson Hole area, “The Last of Old West”. : Mike Roberts, Intermountain Tourist Supply, Inc, Salt Lake City 1, Utah

Looking east if standing 1/2 block east of the intersection of Glenwood and Broadway.

C-410-FRONTIER POST, JACKSON, WYO. – The old time log buildings convey to the visitor the western spirit of long ago. Strolling along over the wooden sidewalks, exchanging greetings  with cowboys and cowgirls, the tourist get the picture as it looked 100 years ago.

Looking east if standing at the intersection of Broadway and Cache.

#4029 – Street scene in Jackson, Wyoming, where boardwalks, western fronts, and the western atmosphere still impress the touris. Jackson is the starting point for Grand Teton National Park and the south entrance of Yellowstone. Pub. by Sanborn Souvenir Co., Inc., Denver, Colo.

Looking south if standing at the intersection of Deloney and Cache.

ES-220 – JACKSON, WYOMING – Looking South along U.s. Highways 26, 89, and 187 toward the chari lift. City Park on left. : Published by Eric J. Seaich Co., 120 West Broadway, Salt Lake City 1, Utah

Looking east if standing in the intersection of Glenwood and Broadway.

S-547X – JACKSON, WYOMING – Last of the old west. Looking east on Broadway Street. : Published by Seaich Card and Souvenir Corp., Salt Lake City

Looking west if standing in the intersection of Broadway and Cache.

JACKSON AT NIGHT – Business section in Jackson, Wyoming, trading center for the Jackson Hole country — “The Last of the Old West.” :  Distributed by the Geo. Mc Co., Box 7146, Murray, Utah 84107

Looking north if standing at the intersection of Broadway and Cache.

JACKSON, WYOMING – Looking north toward Teton and Yellowstone National Parks along U.S. Highways 89-26 and 187. Jackson’s famous Elk Horn Arch and city park at the right. : Pub by Eric J. Seaich Co., 120 West Broadway, Salt Lake City 1, Utah

Looking east if standing at the intersection of Broadway and Cache.

#4066 – Street scene in Jackson, Wyoming, where boardwalks, western fronts and the western atmosphere still impress the tourists. Jackson is the starting point for Grant Teton National Park and the south entrance of Yellowstone. : Pub. for Sanborn Souvenir Co., Inc., Denver, Colorado 80211

Looking east if standing at the intersection of Broadway and Cache.

JACKSON WYOMING: Located in the shadow of the towering Teton Range, Jackson is the county for Teton County, Wyoming, and the commercial center for the entire Jackson Hole area, “The Last of Old West”. : Mike Roberts, Intermountain Tourist Supply, Inc, Salt Lake City 1, Utah

Looking south if standing at the intersection of Deloney and Cache.

Comments: A couple of these cards are labeled “Main Street, Jackson, Wyoming”. Our east/west main street is actually Broadway. I am unaware of any street in Jackson officially called Main Street.  I am sure they exist somewhere, but I have yet to see a vintage postcard taken looking up or down Center street.

If you like this post, check out Harrison R. Crandall – The Park’s First Official Photographer

This is a list of additional Feature Posts with early JH History:

• The West of Yesteryear and Today
• Wild West in Jackson Hole: Cowboys, Wranglers and Horses
• Early Roads in Grand Teton National Park:
• The Moulton Barns: 1963-1965
• Preservation Begins on the John Moulton Homestead!
• The “Missing” GTNP Farming and Ranching Photos:
• Mormon Row Irrigation and the Kelly Warm Springs:
• Scalawags and Bridges ~ The Old Buffalo Fork Bridge:
• Kelly and Antelope Flats Map from 1939
• Seasons at the Thomas A. Moulton Barn:
• The Shane Cabins: Authentic Homestead in Grand Teton National Park
• “SHANE” — The Epic Western Movie Filmed in Jackson Hole
• Bar BC Dude Ranch
• Native American Pow-Wows
• Mountain Man Rendezvous:

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Photographic opportunities for anyone willing to brave the elements.

We’ve had snow here in Jackson Hole on the 4th of July, so getting a blast of it in April should not be a surprise to anyone. It’s great for the high country snow pack and the reservoirs that hold the water it produces. My kids are always saying something is “bad” when they really mean it’s good—like “that’s a bad ride”. So, when it’s “bad” outside, it can be “good”. If not good—unique!

On most snow days, the majestic mountains in the Teton Range are covered with clouds. This more or less forces me to look for alternative angles and views. Most shots of the two historic barns are taken from only a few spots. Right? I enjoy just milling around and looking for interesting compositions—even if the Tetons are not part of the picture.

Half Mile Barn: I took this shot from Antelope Flats Road using a Tamron 150-600mm lens on a D800. This image was captured at 600mm.

Chambers Barn: Taken from the same spot with the same equipment.

Heavy Snow captured at 1/125th second: The flakes are mostly frozen.

Heavy Snow captured at 1/8th second: The flakes streak as they pass in front of the subjects.

TA Moulton Barn — Front View:

TA Moulton Barn — Front View: On snow days, I typically take dozens of the same shot. They won’t be exactly the same, of course, because of the endless concentrations of flakes. This is a random pick out of the group. On a “real” project, I’d go through all of them looking for the best one. When photographing animals in the snow, like moose, I shoot even more! I end up looking for images without a big flake across their eyes.

Long Distance Shot to the John Moulton Homestead: I’ve never measured it, but I’d guess the distance between barns is around half a mile.

Windmill:

Remains of the Old Fences:

Chambers Homestead:

Chambers Homestead: The snow lasted long enough for me to walk around the various homesteads. The Bed & Breakfast is still privately owned and is marked with signs, but tourists and photographers are allowed to mill around the rest of the areas.

Cart: This cart is actually on the Bed & Breakfast property, but I don’t think they care if you shoot from outside the fences. It helps to find subjects with dark areas behind them to show the falling snow.

 

The Gate: I shot this one with a telephoto lens from across the road with a wide open aperture. It helped blur the background and isolate the gate.

Gate and Wheel: The snow was not coming down as briskly on this shot of the corner gate at the Bed & Breakfast. Here’s their link: Moulton Ranch Cabins | Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Chambers Shed: For a lot of the images on this page, I “opened up the shadows” by dragging the Shadows slider to the right in Lightroom. Doing so helps reveal some of the snow flakes against the dark zones.

TA Moulton Barn: For the snow shots today, I set my camera up with “back button focusing”. Large flakes can play havoc with the camera’s auto focus. With back button focusing, I am able to put the center focusing sensor on the corner of the building. When the focus locks down on the corner, I let up on the back button. That sets the focus. I can recompose the scene. When I press the shutter button (even half way), the back button focus settings prevent the AF from trying to find a new position. On a daily basis, I go back and forth between the default focusing and back button focusing, but this is definitely a good time for the latter. Here’s a YouTube tutorial if you are not familiar with the feature: Back Button Focus : Steve Perry on YouTube

TA Moulton Barn: I moved back and shot through the cottonwoods on this one. I am not sure if I like it, but it was worth a try.

Moulton Barn with Wintering Robin:

A Softer View: The artist side of my training is always tugging at me after a photographic shoot. For this image, I dragged the “clarity” slider to the left instead of the right to create a soft layer in Photoshop. I made a second version of the image in Lightroom with more traditional settings and brought that into Photoshop. I used the “Find Edges” filter in Style group of Photoshop filters on that layer, then desaturated the results. I pasted that image on top of the soft layer, and changed the blending mode to Multiply, then adjusted the opacity to fit. This little image took only a few minutes to make (for this blog post). If I were doing a more serious version, I’d soften or reduce the dark edges on the branches at the bottom. If someone asked, I could do a tutorial on this technique in a future Feature Post. If you were to scroll up to the gate image, you might notice this is just a cropped area of that image. On a personal level, this image trips my trigger more than the literal photograph.

Winter Robin: For this image, I desaturated everything but the Robin.

High Key: This is the same image as the one at the very top. I did a quick “curves” adjustment. Snow day images leave you will tons of post processing flexibility.

Comments: “Bad” weather is all the more reason for me to want to be out. I am not a big fan of heavy, steady rain, but I love being out as storms are moving in or moving out. Snow storms usually offer opportunities at showcasing familiar subjects in an entirely different manner. We’ll probably get additional snow days through April and possibly into May. Count on me being out, and if you are around, I’d suggest doing the same!

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