Mormon Row

Mormon Row

Under the Homestead Act of 1962, Mormons founded a small community known as Grovont in the late 1880s. There were ranches, a church, and a school in this small community. By the mid 1900s, many of the families had moved on, and the land later incorporated as part of the Grand Teton National Park.

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If there is a place more photographed than Oxbow Bend in Grand Teton National Park, it is likely the T.A. Moulton Barn. I was up bright and early one morning to capture the sunrise on the Tetons. The weather had other ideas, and brought a nice little snow storm to Jackson Hole. Since I couldn’t capture the majestic mountains, I stopped by the Mormon Row area to capture a slightly different version of the area. I recall looking at the barn thinking how many storms, many far worse than this, it has withstood in it’s 100 or so years of existence. The stories it could tell, if only it could talk.

The Test Of Time

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Simpler Times

The Homesteaders that built Mormon Row lived during much simpler times. Given the harsh climate that the Jackson Hole area experiences during the winter, I’m sure some of those times weren’t pleasant. I thought this photo perfectly captured the essence of the straightforward but demanding life that those settlers lived.

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The Wayback

Most of the shots of the T.A. Moulton Barn are taken with the Teton Range in the background, and for good reason. But, after dark the show at the barn is looking to the Southwest, and at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. This was a Bucket List shot for me, and certainly nothing unique. I felt lucky to capture this, as I was there for several nights on this trip, and on my last evening, the clouds finally parted allowing me to get the shot I had long wanted. As I stood there, in the incredibly dark skies of the Jackson Hole are, I once again thought of the settlers, and despite how much things in the area have changed, the view of the night sky remains largely the same.

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Oxbow Bend Photos