Geology and Minerals

Grand Teton National Park

Grand Teton National Park is a national park of the United States in northwestern Wyoming. At approximately 310,000 acres (1,300 km2; 480 sq mi), the park includes the major peaks of the 40-mile-long (64 km) Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. Grand Teton National Park is 10 miles (16 km) south of Yellowstone National Park, to which it is connected by the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway. Along with surrounding national forests, these three protected areas constitute the almost 22-million-acre (89,000-square-kilometer) Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, one of the world's largest intact mid-latitude temperate ecosystems. The human history of the Grand Teton region dates back at least 11,000 years. In the early 19th century, the first European colonizers encountered the eastern Shoshone people. Between 1810 and 1840, the region attracted fur trading companies that vied for control of the lucrative beaver pelt trade. U.S. government expeditions to the region commenced in the mid-19th century, with the first permanent white colonizers arriving in the 1880s. Efforts to preserve the region as a national park began in the late 19th century, and in 1929 Grand Teton National Park was established, protecting the Teton Range's major peaks. In the 1930s, conservationists led by John D. Rockefeller Jr. began purchasing land in Jackson Hole to be added to the existing national park. Against public opinion and with repeated Congressional efforts to repeal the measures, much of Jackson Hole was set aside for protection as Jackson Hole National Monument in 1943. The monument was abolished in 1950 and most of the monument land was added to Grand Teton National Park. Grand Teton National Park is named for Grand Teton, the tallest mountain in the Teton Range. At 13,775 feet (4,199 m), Grand Teton rises more than 7,000 feet (2,100 m) above Jackson Hole. The park has numerous lakes, including 15-mile-long (24 km) Jackson Lake as well as streams and the upper main stem of the Snake River. Though in recession, a dozen small glaciers persist at the higher elevations near the highest peaks in the range.

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See also

• ▸Extrusive rock
• ▸Hostage
• ▸Creighton Mine

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