Jackson Hole Neon

Nostalgic Remnants Scattered Around Town.

Even though exposed neon has been outlawed on all new signs in Teton County since the early ’80s, a few of the old signs remain. I’ve always found them to be worthy photographic subjects!

Teton Theater: The neon on the front of this old theater had been neglected for many years. Even though the sign code prohibited replacement, the Town Council acknowledged the value of the neon on the historic old structure and allowed it to rejuvenated. There was even a big “lighting of the theater” event with the Mayor and Councilmen. The theater has been closed for a few years, so the neon has been dark and is again falling into disrepair.

Cowboy Bar: The neon on the bucking bronco and cowboy atop the historic Cowboy Bar on the Town Square is constantly being repaired and replaced. Similar to the Teton Theater, the Cowboy Bar sign was granted an exclusion as a historic structure.

“During the 1940s and 1950s, gambling was prevalent in Jackson Hole. It was illegal, statewide, but Jackson’s location and the relative isolation of the valley combined with its distance from Cheyenne, made law enforcement a token effort. The only deterrent was the occasional raid, and even then, there was usually plenty of advance warning. Slot machines and crap tables mysteriously disappeared into tunnels beneath the Cowboy and Wort Hotel, and reappeared as soon as the heat was off.” Source: The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar’s Web Site. This vintage postcard gives some clue of what the town looked like in the ’50s. Neon was commonly used around the square and along Broadway.

Cowboy Bar: The Jackson Town Council adopted a new sign code in the early ’80s which prohibited exposed neon on new signs. The move was to help preserve the unique character of the town.  They also adopted the slogan “The Last and the Best of the Old West”. My wife, Darla, and I moved to Jackson in 1986 and began a custom sign company—specializing in hand carved and dimensional signs. We made most of our signs out of redwood and cedar, often accented with 23k gold leaf. We fit right into the scheme! We moved here about the time the “sunset clause” was taking effect. All old, non-conforming signs were supposed to meet the standards of the new code. Needless to say, some of the old neon signs slipped through the cracks and are still around. We sold our sign shop 20 years ago, though a few of them still remain around the valley.

4 Winds Motel: There are several old motels in town with exposed neon as seen above and below.

Snow King Motel: Typically, the connecting neon tube between letters is painted with a special, opaque black paint. The paint is missing on several of the old signs, making them a little harder to read or decipher. (like the neon across the bottom of the “K”)

Snow King Motel: This is a detail of the tubing on the Snow King Motel sign in the previous photo. Neon tube bending is definitely an art form.

Gai Mode Beauty Salon: I took this photo in 2009. The sign is still there, but is faded even worse and has less remaining neon. It hasn’t been working for any of the 30 years we’ve lived here, though the beauty salon was in business for quite a few of the years.

Gai Mode Beauty Salon: Okay…I know photos like these might not trip everyone’s trigger! Still, they are part of the landscape and they are systematically disappearing. With property values remaining high, and the inability to expand the town’s footprint, “redevelopment” gobbles up what some might consider an eyesore. More than likely, you will have similar opportunities to capture the old ghost signs in your area, too!

Office and No Vacancy: As I mentioned earlier, the missing black paint makes some of the neon tougher to read!

Teton Theater Detail: Neon can make good subjects for abstract images, allowing a lot of room for experimenting in post production. I used a “tilt shift” filter, added some grain and textures, and also a “light leak” filter on this one.

Virginian Lodge: This was an easy post production edit using Topaz Filter Effects.

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