According to iamaccepted, Grand Teton National Park is located in northwestern Wyoming in the Rocky Mountains, on the southern edge of the Yellowstone Plate. It is located at an altitude of 1950 to 4195 meters, the highest mountain is the Grand Teton reaching a height of 4197 meters above sea level. This sharply rising wall of high mountains has no analogues in the United States, on a relatively small area here massive mountain peaks rise up from the valley to a height of 2,200 meters. The area of the park is 1257 square kilometers.
Beyond these mountains lies the broad valley of Jackson Hole, drained on the south by the Snake River. It is typical for the valley that it is covered with sagebrush. At the foot of the mountains lies the large lake Jackson Lake, which is joined by six other smaller lakes towards the south. Grand Teton was declared a national park in 1929, a full 57 years later than neighboring Yellowstone. However, its borders were drawn very slowly, mainly because protracted battles were fought over the lucrative local land under the mountains. Ranchers protested further land acquisitions for the National Park, arguing that further land clearing could cripple the local economy in Jackson Hole.
The situation was finally resolved by JD Rockefeller Jr., who bought most of these lands and donated them to the US government as a contribution to the expansion of the national park. In exchange for this was the right that his Grand Teton Lodge Company would be given exclusive rights to provide lodging services in the park. The current network of tourist facilities is inconspicuously and very sensitively integrated into the mountain landscape. Today, Grand Teton is the only US national park with a commercial airport and the only one outside of Alaska where game hunting is permitted.
The site was inhabited more than 12 thousand years ago by native Indians, but the first white man to visit the area was probably John Colter. The latter separated from the exploratory expedition led by Lewis and Clark sometime in 1807-1808. However, most of the places in the park are named after William Henry Jackson – a photographer who focused on documenting the harsh life in the wilderness. He has proven himself not only as a documentarian, but his photographs are important works of art today. Jackson died at 99 as a national hero and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. His name became very famous in the area, and today not only the lake at the foot of the Grand Tetons, but also the town of Jackson boasts of him.
The park today has two entry points – Moose Village and Moran Junction. It is possible to see all kinds of wild animals in the park, such as moose, black bears, bison, wolves, coyotes, squirrels, swans or frogs. 320 km of hiking trails of various levels of difficulty are prepared for the 4 million visitors who come here every year. The average temperature in summer ranges from 20 to 27 °C during the day, while it can rise above 30, dropping to zero at night. Winters here are extremely cold, with the mercury dropping to -40°C. Even though the Grand Teton lies in close proximity to the much more famous Yellowstone Park, their face is completely different and it would be a shame to miss this beauty. Today, the Grand Teton area, and Jackson Hole in particular, is a center for tourism, with a focus on rock climbing, alpine hiking, rafting and skiing.
John D Rockefeller Jr MP
John D. Rockefeller Junior was the son of the famous American industrialist and philanthropist John Davison Rockefeller, born in 1839. He founded the Standard Oil Company in 1870, which he managed until his retirement in 1897. Standard Oil began operations in Ohio as a partnership formed with brother William Rockefeller, Henry Flagler, chemist Samuel Andrews, and silent partner Stephen V. Harkness.
However, Rockefeller still kept the shares in his possession. As the price and importance of gasoline grew, so did Rockefeller’s fortune and wealth. He soon became the richest man in the world and the first American billionaire. He is also often referred to as the richest person in all of American history. With his wife, Laura Celestia Spelman, he had 4 daughters and one son – John D. Rockefeller Junior, who was entrusted with the trust and oversight of the foundations. The Rockefeller family had a ranch in Grand Teton National Park for a long time. Later, they donated all their lands to the government with the understanding that they would be annexed to the park.
In honor of John D. Rockefeller Jr. is the name of the road that crosses the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks today. This scenic drive is managed by the National Park Service. John Rockefeller was instrumental in establishing and expanding several American parks, such as the Grand Teton, Great Smoky Mountains, Virgin Islands or Acadia. Established in 1972, the road occupies an area of 97 km2 and is now part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Its borders are the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, the Bridger-Teton National Forest, and the Teton Wilderness.
