While historians credit John Colter as the first white man in the Jackson Hole in the winter of 1807, it is fellow fur trapper Davey Jackson for whom Jackson Hole is named. Jackson signed on with William Ashley's fur company and was truly enterprising. In 1826, he and two other fur trappers, Jedediah Smith and William Sublette, bought out Ashley. In 1830, having made a sizable profit in only four years, these partners sold the company. To mountain men, a low-lying valley surrounded by mountains was called a "hole." Because mountain rivers and streams that ran through holes created good habitat for beaver and other fur-bearing animals, trappers worked in these areas. Often a trapper assumed unwritten rights to trapping areas, and many places were named for the men who worked there most frequently. 

Sublette named the valley "Jackson's Hole" for his partner. Eventually the possessive was dropped because it was the, errr, butt of too many jokes.

As Jackson Hole's beef industry grew, large elk herds that roamed the mountains and valleys began to compete with cattle for hay supplies. To help ranchers, Congress began a federal feed program for the Jackson elk herd. A few years later in 1910, the federal government bought the 24,600 acres just north of town, now the National Elk Refuge, to help keep the herd from starving in the winter and to preserve the ranching lifestyle in Jackson Hole. Nearly 3,000 elk summer in Grand Teton National Park. Free ranging and migratory, elk spend all summer gaining weight to sustain them through the coming winter. The first few inches of snow trigger migration to the National Elk Refuge immediately south of the park. Approximately 7,000 elk (over half the Jackson herd) spend their winter on the Refuge. In winter, sleigh rides bring visitors among the herd.

There are galleries ave grown up around a number of well-known artists who make their home here. Local artisans abound and exhibit their products at a half-dozen craft fairs every year. Add to these attractions the recreation available - such as fishing, river rafting on the wild waters and calmer stretches of the Snake River, horseback riding, hiking, golfing and tennis - and the result is a great vacation. In the evenings, there are rodeos, live musical comedy shows and even a full symphony orchestra in the summer. In the winter, ski deep powder, get away from it all on a snowmobile or view the elk herds from a horse-drawn sleigh.  Today, Jackson Hole is a winter and summer playground for outdoor enthusiasts from all over the world. 

"The Last and the Best of the Old West," Jackson Hole's culture is unique, blending its western heritage with that of a destination resort. On the board sidewalks of Jackson, cowboys with hats and spurs are often juxtaposed against snowboarders with dreadlocks and nose rings.