JACKSON, Wyo.– Join History Jackson Hole for Beers & Banter: Triangle X Ranch 100th Anniversary!
The centennial celebration kicks off on Wednesday, June 17, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 5:30 p.m.) at the Jackson Hole History Museum. This event is free and open to the public with limited seating on the museum’s outside deck.
This local history happy hour will feature guest panelists including Allie Turner, John F. Turner, Lucas Turner, Mark Turner, Matt Turner, and Robert Turner. The panel will be moderated by Kathryn Turner and followed by a Q&A.
The Triangle X Ranch got its start when John S. and Maytie Turner purchased a homestead from Bill Jump in 1926 and moved their family from Utah to Wyoming. After adding to the ranch in 1927, the family sold to the Snake River Ranch Company in the late 1920s, with an agreement allowing continued ranch operations. One-hundred years later, the Turner family still runs the Triangle X as a working dude ranch and as an authorized concessioner of the National Park Service.
Meet the guest panelists
Allie Turner
Fifth generation Turner and daughter of Lucas and Lauren Turner. Allie lives full-time at Triangle X Ranch with her parents and two siblings. Allie is a fourth grader at Moran Elementary School and very committed to her school work. She enjoys gymnastics, is currently playing soccer, and is a member of a local pony club. She is incredibly smart, strong willed and has an unwavering love for horses. She spends her summers on horseback joining the guest kids of Triangle X on their rides, acting as a young Turner ambassador for the family business.
John F. Turner
John is the son of Louise and John C. and is part of the third generation of Triangle X Ranch. The ranch played a central role in shaping Turner’s lifelong connection to Wyoming heritage, the outdoors, and wildlife conservation.
After earning degrees in biology from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s degree in wildlife ecology from the University of Michigan, Turner returned to Wyoming to help operate the family ranch while beginning a career in public service. He served for 20 years in the Wyoming Legislature, including as President of the Wyoming Senate, before going on to national leadership roles as Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under President George H. W. Bush and later Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs under President George W. Bush.
Throughout his career, Turner remained closely tied to Wyoming and eventually returned to his roots at the Triangle X Ranch. Today, he serves as a senior leader within the Turner family, helping carry forward the traditions and values he shared with his brothers, Harold and Donald.
Kathryn Mapes Turner
Kathryn is part of the fourth generation of the Turner Family. After growing up on the Triangle X Ranch, she studied studio arts at the University of Notre Dame, with additional studies at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C., and in Rome, Italy, before earning a master’s degree from the University of Virginia. She has since become nationally recognized for her paintings, receiving honors from organizations including the American Impressionist Society, the National Academy of Equine Art, and the Southeast Wildlife Exposition. Her work has been exhibited in museums across the West, including the National Museum of Wildlife Art and the Brinton Museum.
Today, Turner continues to paint from her home in Jackson Hole and through her Turner Fine Art Gallery, where she shares her work alongside that of other contemporary artists.
Lucas Turner
Fourth generation dude rancher, Lucas was born and raised at Triangle X Ranch. By the age of 14, he was a full-time ranch employee and has spent nearly his entire working life helping work and run the family business.
After completing high school in Jackson, Lucas’ fascination with aviation took him to the Midwest where he went to flight school at Purdue University. After graduating from Purdue’s four-year aviation program, he worked as a flight instructor, and then moved onto to flying private jets. It only took a couple of years before Lucas’ love for Wyoming and the dude ranching way of life outweighed the pilot’s lifestyle, so he returned home in 2005 and went back to work for the family business, becoming one of the general managers at Triangle X.
Lucas is also committed to giving back to the dude ranch industry and local community by serving as Vice President of the Dude Rancher’s Association (DRA) board, the DRA representative on the board of America Outdoors and as Vice Chair of the Teton County Weed and Pest board.
Mark Turner
Mark was fortunate to be raised at the Triangle X Ranch alongside close family, cousins, and parents who encouraged an active life outdoors. Without television in the home, much of his childhood was spent exploring, building, and tinkering — experiences that helped shape a lifelong passion for creativity, craftsmanship, and the outdoors.
He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1997 and an MBA from Old Dominion University in 1999. He is the founder of Green Spur and Lost Whiskey, ventures that reflect his enduring interest in creating thoughtful, well-designed products and experiences inspired by the Western landscape and outdoor living.
Matt Turner
Matt was raised on the Triangle X Ranch and is a current Ranch partner and member of the Turner fourth generation. His parents were Harold and Berniece Turner. Matt spent the summers of his youth guiding four to 14-day horseback pack trips into the Teton Wilderness. Today, he lives on the Ranch during the summer, hosting Ranch guests during evenings, and assists the Ranch with various legal matters.
Matt graduated from Jackson Hole High School in 1984. He attended the University of Notre Dame, obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1988 and earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Kansas in 1993.
After practicing law with a large firm in Kansas City, Missouri, for many years, Matt returned to Jackson in 2000 with his wife, Jamie, to raise their family. Matt is currently a partner at the law firm of Geittmann Larson Swift LLP. He has served on numerous community boards including the Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum, Jackson Hole Youth Basketball, and the Teton Climbers Coalition.
Robert Turner
Robert is a third-generation Turner and son of Harold Turner, graduated from Jackson Hole High School and went on to study biology at Montana State University.
Robert began working on the ranch’s wilderness pack trips at the age of 12 and went on to lead wilderness trips for more than 20 years, continuing the legacy of the historic Mink Creek camp established by earlier generations of the Turner family. As a current partner and manager of Triangle X Ranch, he has spent the past two decades overseeing guest services, the ranch kitchen, housekeeping, reservations, ranch office operations, winter activities, and wilderness programs.
For more information, visit jacksonholehistory.org or call the History Museum at (307) 733-2414.
