Visiting Mormon Row

During our last week of Place-Based Education, the graduates were able to gain a more in-depth understanding of the place we live in.  On Wednesday, we visited Mormon Row, right up the street from the Kelly Campus.  Even though it was very chilly, rainy weather to walk in, it was a great opportunity to learn more about the culture and history that roamed the sageflats years ago.

For those of you who do not know where Mormon Row is, if you drive north from Jackson on highway 191 past Moose Junction and turn right onto Antelope Flats Road, you can follow the road about 1 ½ miles until you see a north-south running dirt road marked by a distinctive pink stucco house on the left with a small dirt parking area.

Mormon Row may be one the most picturesque areas of Grand Teton National Park.  The groups of old farm buildings have rustic, wooden buildings surrounded by open fields, grass and sage standing out against the stunning backdrop of the Tetons.  This historic place is a great way for seeing into the lives of the West’s early settlers and can be commonly seen with grazing wildlife right up to the walls of the original structures.  A great place to find bison, antelope, moose, coyotes, ground squirrels, northern harriers, kestrels and sage grouse.

Here is the back story: The leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormons, sent parties from the Salt Lake Valley to establish new communities and support their expanding population. Arriving in the 1890s from Idaho, these old farm buildings have withstood the elements for more than a century, since the farmland here was first homesteaded by the predominantly Mormon settlers in the early 1900s. The Mormon homesteaders, settled east of Blacktail Butte and clustered their farms to share labor and community, a stark contrast with the isolation typical of many western homesteads.

These settlers established 27 homesteads in the Grovont area because of relatively fertile soil, shelter from winds by Blacktail Butte and access to the Gros Ventre River. Despite the harsh conditions of Jackson Hole, Mormon settlers grew crops by using irrigation. These hardy settlers dug ditches by hand and with teams of horses, building an intricate network of levees and dikes to funnel water from central ditches to their fields between 1896 and 1937. Water still flows in some of these ditches.

After the Rockefellers Snake River Land Company bought the majority of the land and transferred it to the Park Service, the buildings were allowed to decay until the 1990s, when their cultural value was recognized and steps were taken to preserve them. Today, six homesteads and a single ruin provide visitors a glimpse into the past of Jackson Hole Valley.

Aerial photo of Blacktail Butte and Mormon Row
Courtesy of Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum, 1991.3991.001
http://www.nps.gov/grte/historyculture/mormon.htm

John Moulton Barn
Courtesy of Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum, 1991.3991.001
http://www.nps.gov/grte/historyculture/mormon.htm

Today, two picturesque barns highlight Mormon Row. Settlers John and Thomas Alma (T.A.) Moulton built these barns on adjacent homesteads. After nearly 30 years of working the land, John replaced his log home and barn with a new carpenter-constructed, pink stucco frame house and impressive, two-story gambrel barn north of Antelope Flats Road. South of John’s homestead, T. A. took over 30 years to build his gable-with-shed style barn. Photographers from around the world stop by T. A. Moulton’s barn to capture this iconic historic structure with the Teton Range in the background.

Andy Chamber's Residence

The most extensive historic complex remaining on Mormon Row is the Andy Chambers homestead. Andy Chambers claimed land in 1912 and secured the title under the Homestead Act by building a log cabin and stable and clearing ground to grow grain, a backbreaking chore in the rocky soil. The family lacked running water until 1927 and harnessed electricity with a windmill in 1946. The Rural Electric Administration did not provide power to Mormon Row until the 1950s. By this time, many families had sold their homesteads to become part of the park. The windmill still stands on the homestead.

Of course, it would not be complete without seeing some wildlife tracks!  I suspect we have coyote wandering the area!  However, we did not see any, the tracks looked pretty fresh and were probably there earlier that morning before we arrived to Mormon Row.

 

Coyote Tracks

Almost the Size of My Palm

Historically Fulfilling!
TheChristyBel

Orion Magazine: Place Where You Live

"A sense of place is the sixth sense, an internal compass and map made by memory and spatial perception together.” —Rebecca Solnit

For our Place-Based Education Class, we had to write about a place that we used to live and that we had a connection with and submit it to Orion Magazine.  Besides Delaware, I have had a strong connection with Asbury Park, New Jersey, and can say that mostly every weekend, I did live there.

Being introduced to this town through Nate, at first, was very unsure of this town; because at times, that city is a little scary and out there.  But, over the past four years, AP also has its own uniqueness and personality that has made me warm up to it.  Not to mention all of the people that I have met in that town, that have become like a second family to me.  So, I chose to write a small little blurb about good 'ol Asbury Park, New Jersey.  Enjoy.

You can also view the passage on Orion Magazine's website on the The Place Where You Live webpage. TheChristyBel - The Place Where You Live - Asbury Park, NJ

My Personal Sketch of Some of My Favorite Places Along the Asbury Park Boardwalk.

Asbury Park, New Jersey: not like all the other Jersey Shore towns.  Sure, there are great dance parties and great beach access, but there is much more that A.P. has to offer.  This tight-knit beach community was full of art, music, and soul.

I would travel up to Asbury Park, New Jersey every weekend from Delaware to visit friends that lived there.  There was always a bunch of things going at any given time; we had everything you could think of at our fingertips: from places to hang out, access to nature hikes, and lots of musical and artistic talent to spice up your day.  America’s Cup was one of our favorite places to spend a mellow, relaxing morning with a great cup of coffee.  We would be greeted with a smile from the owner, who knew our orders without asking.  I loved sitting and sketching at a window table while talking with the friends and locals. Then at night, depending on what was going on, you could usually find me at shows where my friends would be playing music, at art shows or galleries, or hanging out at one of our favorite bars.

The best memories I had being in Asbury Park were going to a show full of talented, local musicians at the Saint until the late hours of the night, and then indulging in the best Korean tacos you ever tasted at Mogo Taco.

The art and music was my absolute favorite part about A.P.  As an artist, I loved how everywhere you went, you could find someone’s personal, creative touch painted on sides of buildings, or could be heard as you walked along the boardwalk or the bars.  The local creativity and artistic talent that Asbury Park holds is beyond outstanding and it helps you embrace your inner artist as well.  Also, the community is extremely supportive of each other.  No wonder I spent every weekend in this town, great people, great music and art; it was a home away from home.

Nothing Like an Asbury Park Sunrise to Start Off Your Day

Asbury Park Boardwalk

Convention Hall

Feeling Nostalgic...So Much Time Having to Think of Home.

Missing Home,
TheChristyBe