Bar B C Dude Ranch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Bar B C Dude Ranch
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 Location in Wyoming
Location in the United States
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| Location | Grand Teton National Park, Jackson Hole, Teton County, Wyoming, USA |
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| Nearest city | Moose, Wyoming |
| Architect | Struthers Burt, Horace Carncross |
| MPS | Grand Teton National Park MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 90000624 |
| Added to NRHP | April 23, 1990 |
The Bar B C Dude Ranch was a special place near Moose, Wyoming. It was started in 1912 by two friends, Struthers Burt and Dr. Horace Carncross. They used their initials, B and C, to name the ranch.
Unlike a regular farm, this ranch was built just for tourists. It was designed in a unique "Dude Ranch Vernacular" style. This meant it had many log buildings and a rustic, natural look. The Bar B C was one of the first dude ranches in Jackson Hole. It influenced many other ranches in the area. Many people who worked there later started their own successful ranches. Eventually, the ranch became part of Grand Teton National Park. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
Contents
History of the Bar B C Ranch
Struthers Burt had experience with dude ranches. He helped start the JY ranch in 1908. Famous writers like Owen Wister visited the JY. His stories made dude ranches very popular.
Burt and Horace Carncross opened the Bar B C in 1912. The start of World War I helped their business. Many Americans could not travel to Europe. So, they came West instead. Jackson Hole became a popular spot, especially for people from Philadelphia.
In 1917, Burt and Carncross borrowed money to make the ranch bigger. The food and service quickly got much better. They started growing fresh vegetables and dairy products. By 1922, the Bar B C was one of the largest ranches in the valley. It could host fifty guests in 45 buildings. New partners, Irving Corse and Joe LePage, joined the team. They had started as cowboys and wranglers at the ranch.
Choosing the Ranch Location
Burt and Carncross carefully picked the ranch's spot. They looked for good views, water, soil, and timber. They also wanted a place with fewer mosquitoes. Carncross, a doctor from Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania, hoped the ranch would grow into a cattle farm.
They didn't buy an old ranch. Instead, they claimed land under the Homestead Acts. Burt claimed 154 acres, and Carncross claimed 158 acres. They claimed more land in the years that followed. By 1917, the Bar B C covered over 600 acres. In 1924, they bought another ranch near the Gros Ventre River. They called it the Lower Bar BC. This ranch was used to raise cattle and hay.
Famous Guests and Conservation
In 1924, Struthers Burt wrote a book called Diary of a Dude Wrangler. It was published in The Saturday Evening Post. Burt was a writer who studied at Princeton University. He wrote about many topics, including the American West. His wife, Katharine Newlin Burt, and son, Nathaniel Burt, were also writers. Because of this, the Bar B C often attracted other writers. Guests included Harry W. Frantz and Burt's friends from Princeton, like David Adler.
In the 1920s, Burt became a strong supporter of protecting nature in Jackson Hole. He was against building a dam at Jenny Lake. In 1923, Burt met with Horace Albright, who led the National Park Service. They made a plan to protect Jackson Hole.
Later, the Snake River Land Company began buying land in Jackson Hole. This company was working for John D. Rockefeller Jr.. The plan was to give the land to the National Park Service. In 1929, Burt and his partner Irving Corse sold the Bar B C. But they kept a special agreement called a life estate. This allowed them to keep running the dude ranch. Carncross had passed away in 1928.
Grand Teton National Park was created in 1929. It included the Teton Range. The ranch officially became part of protected lands in 1943. This happened when Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Jackson Hole National Monument.
Changes Over Time
During the 1930s, Burt and Corse had disagreements about how to run the ranch. In 1937, Corse bought out Burt. Corse believed the ranch should look "run down" to seem more authentic. This meant less maintenance. Some fires caused parts of the ranch to be rebuilt. Corse even built a small airstrip and hangar.
During World War II, Corse stopped running the ranch. He became a flight instructor at the University of Wyoming. After the war, Corse's health declined, and he died in 1953. His wife, Margaretta Corse, then leased the ranch to others. From 1950 to 1959, it was operated as short-term rental cabins. Mrs. Corse managed the ranch herself until 1985. She passed away in 1988. At that point, the ranch officially became property of the National Park Service.
What the Ranch Looked Like
The historic area of the Bar B C has 37 buildings. These include cabins, a main lodge, a dining hall, and other utility buildings. There are also man-made ponds, barns, and corrals. The ranch is located at the edge of the Snake River.
The buildings are mostly one or one-and-a-half stories tall. They are made of logs and are rectangular. The roofs are red or green. The ranch layout seems casual, but it centers around the dining hall and lodge. Cabins are on either side of the main path. Corrals are to the north, and the barn is to the south. The outside of the buildings are in good shape. However, the inside of many buildings have changed over time.
The casual style of the Bar B C ranch was copied by many other dude ranches. It is seen as a very important example of this type of ranch.
Ranches Inspired by Bar B C
Since the Bar B C was one of the first dude ranches, it inspired many people. Former guests and employees went on to start their own ranches. Some of these include the White Grass, Sun Star, and the STS Ranch. Other people, like Maud Noble, bought places like Menor's Ferry. Some, like Cissy Patterson, created their own private getaways.
The ranch kept operating until after World War II. Then, the cabins became summer rental cabins.
The Bar B C Today
The main Bar B C ranch is now part of Grand Teton National Park. The buildings have received limited care since 1986. Many structures have started to fall apart. Some have even been partly taken down. However, preservation work is being done. This work is helping to stabilize important buildings like the Carncross Cabin and the main lodge.
The Bar B C was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 23, 1990. In 2016, the National Park Service suggested a plan for the ranch. They recommended that 24 of the 34 buildings be made stable. Three more would need bigger repairs. Seven buildings might be used for materials or allowed to naturally decay. The property would be used as a day-use area. It would also be a place where people could learn about and practice architectural preservation.
There is also a new housing development called Bar BC Ranch. It is located on the land that used to be the Lower B C Ranch.
