JACKSON, Wyo. — Join Jackson Hole Historical Society & Museum (JHHSM) for a multi-media talk with Dr. Yolonda Youngs and Curator Bridgette Guild on assembling the (almost lost) history of Upper Snake River scenic rafting in Grand Teton National Park.
The pair will discuss how they collaborated with community members over six years to collect, record and preserve early commercial rafting history in on the Upper Snake River including photos and oral histories. They’ll also address the value of scenic rafting in park conservation, river stewardship and the larger context of river rafting in the western U.S. An audience Q&A will close the evening.
The talk is offered with the JHHSM’s special summer exhibit “Floating Through History: Uncovering Stories Behind Scenic Rafting on the Upper Snake River” presented with Dr. Yolonda Youngs at California State University San Bernardino, Grand Teton National Park and Snake River Fund, and made possible through a grant from Wyoming Humanities.
This new, local exhibition features historical photographs, artifacts, first-hand accounts from long-time local rafting legends and an interactive Snake River model raft experience.
About the speakers
Dr. Yolonda Youngs is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at California State University San Bernardino. Her expertise is in national parks and protected areas, environmental policy and management, tourism and outdoor recreation.
Youngs has published 28 academic and scientific articles and books including The American Environment Revisited (2018) and her forthcoming Framing Nature: The Creation of an American Icon at the Grand Canyon (2024). For 10 years, she worked as a professional raft and kayak guide on rivers and lakes throughout the western United States including the Snake River, Jackson Lake and Yellowstone Lake. She is the lead researcher of a project to document and preserve the history of Upper Snake River scenic rafting and is currently working on a book and journal articles based on the project.
Bridgette Guild has worked in the museum field with the National Park Service for 20 years, beginning in Yellowstone while finishing a master’s degree in history at Montana State University. At Grand Teton, Guild manages the museum collections including the exhibits at the Craig Thomas VC and Colter Bay in addition to the park’s archives, which are federal records that document the management of the park since its inception, and the park’s research library as a resource for park staff.
The river project was of particular interest since Guild is a boater and enjoys being on the river floating the scenic and whitewater stretches of rivers across the west.
For more information visit jacksonholehistory.org/floating-through-history or call the History Museum at 307-733-2414.
