JACKSON, Wyo. — Last week, a photo surfaced on Instagram of a man who had climbed on top of the TA Moulton Barn, a historic landmark over 100-years-old, known as the “most photographed barn in the world.”
The TA Moulton Barn is among a number of early settlement structures in Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) known as Mormon Row. It was home to some of Jackson Hole’s first settlers long before it became a popular tourist destination. Today, the TA Moulton Barn is synonymous with the valley—pictures of the barn with the Teton Range towering in the background show up all around Jackson Hole in gift shops, hotels, and visitor centers alike.
“The family had a very strong reaction, very offensive,” Reed Moulton, a member of the Moulton family told Buckrail. “We have been working hard to stabilize the building over the years. The barn has a hard enough time with the snow load during the winter, and any extra weight could damage it permanently. It has survived over 100 winters in the park and we want it to survive 100 more.”
The account @MormonRow shared the post to their own Instagram account saying that the behavior is unacceptable. The original poster’s Instagram account is currently private.
“The image of an individual atop the historic Moulton Barn is very disrespectful to the iconic cultural resources of Mormon Row and Grand Teton National Park, and the legacy of that story and structures in the history of Jackson Hole,” said GTNP Public Affairs Officer, Denise Germann.
Moulton mentioned that he hopes future visitors will respect the barn, as well as all other historic sites in Grand Teton National Park.
“I just want to say that we want people to enjoy it, as well as respect it. Not just the barn but all historic buildings and sites in the park,” said Moulton. “The barn is in very good hands with the park, but we all need to do our part to preserve these historic sites.”
Park officials are currently looking into the incident.
“If we can identify individuals, we may be able to take action on this,” Germann said. “Actions such as these jeopardize the mission of the National Park Service; to preserve and protect for the enjoyment of future generations.”
Update 6:30 p.m. Jan. 12: The Instagram account @mormonrow deleted their repost, saying that they received an apologetic message from the man who was pictured on the barn. (see full post below):
