Hunter Hereford Ranch Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Hunter Hereford Ranch Historic District
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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 | Eber Piers, Neson Brothers Construction Company |
| MPS | Grand Teton National Park MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 98001031 |
| Added to NRHP | August 24, 1998 |
The Hunter Hereford Ranch is a historic place located in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. It was first settled in 1909 by James Williams. Later, in the 1940s, William and Eileen Hunter turned it into a special "hobby ranch."
This ranch is famous for its old-fashioned log buildings. These buildings were even used as filming locations for movies! The movie The Wild Country was filmed here. Also, a building with a stone fireplace was used in the 1963 movie Spencer's Mountain. The ranch sits at the very edge of Jackson Hole, right under Shadow Mountain.
What the Ranch Looks Like
The buildings at the Hunter Hereford Ranch were designed by an architect named Eber E. Piers. He was from Ogden, Utah. Piers usually designed buildings in a style called Prairie style. However, the Hunter Ranch was his only project built in a rustic, old-fashioned style.
Piers was a friend of the Hunter family. Instead of money, he was paid with room and board while vacationing at the ranch. The main ranch house and a guest house, which are now gone, were furnished by Thomas C. Molesworth. Local builders, the Nelson brothers, constructed the buildings.
The Barn and Other Buildings
Eber Piers was asked to design the ranch's barn to look like the Gerritt Hardeman barn nearby. The Hardeman ranch was where the Hunters got many of their cattle. The Hunter barn looks like other barns in the area. However, it was built to a much higher standard than most ranches in Jackson Hole.
Other buildings built in 1945 include a chicken house, a special barn for male animals (a stud barn), a hay shed, an equipment shed, and a garage. The house where the foreman lived was built in 1908. It was changed and made bigger in 1945. The original log cabin was expanded with more log structures. A log bunkhouse, where workers would sleep, was built around 1921.
Changes Over Time
The Hunter Hereford Ranch covered about 520 acres (210 hectares). It was sold to the National Park Service in 1957. However, Eileen Hunter kept the rights to use the land for grazing and water until she passed away in 1989.
For a short time, the Park Service rented the land and buildings to the nearby Triangle X Ranch. But in 1991, they ended the rental. This was part of a plan to let the property return to its natural state. The large main house and guest cabins, designed by Piers, were taken down in 1992. But the buildings used for the working ranch were kept. A bunkhouse, the barn, and the foreman's cabin still remain today.
Some other buildings designed by Piers were moved to different locations. These include the Climbers' Ranch and the Teton Science School at the Ramshorn Ranch.
The part of the ranch that is now a historic district is about 160 acres (65 hectares). It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. This means it is recognized as an important historical site.
