MOOSE, Wyo. — Yesterday, Feb 26., marked Grand Teton National Park’s (GTNP) 94th birthday. On that day in 1929, the areas around the Grand Teton mountain range and its lakes were established as a national park to protect the land from commercial exploitation.
According to GTNP, President Calvin Coolidge signed the bill creating Grand Teton National Park, a 96,000-acre park that included the Teton Range and six glacial lakes at its base.
Since then, the surrounding region has largely transformed. But steady in the change that time brings is the awe that Grand Teton delivers
“Tall and proud, the Tetons rise dramatically from the grasslands, cutting through bluest skies and brightest sunrises. Snowcapped in the winter and stark gray in summer, these granite masterpieces are home to all seeking serenity in the mountains. Few landscapes in the world are as striking and memorable as that of Grand Teton National Park,” said the National Park Service in a statement yesterday.
“Established on [Feb. 26] in 1929, Grand Teton offers extraordinary wildlife, pristine lakes, alpine terrain and a unique collection of natural and cultural resources to explore.”
According to the National Park Service, Grand Teton National Park took decades to establish.
Congress created the original park in 1929 to protect the Teton Range and several lakes at the foot of the mountains. In 1943, Franklin D. Roosevelt declared additional land in the valley to be Jackson Hole National Monument. In 1949, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. donated the land he purchased to the government to be included in the national park.
Finally, in 1950, Congress combined the original park, the national monument and the Rockefeller lands to establish the present-day Grand Teton National Park. In 1972, Congress established the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway, which connects Yellowstone and Grand Teton, to honor Rockefeller’s philanthropy and commitment to the National Park System.
Read more about the history of Grand Teton National Park here.
