Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
11.
Cunningham Cabin Historic Site
About a mile beyond the Snake River Overlook lies Hedricks Pond, a nesting site for rare
trumpeter swans and other waterfowl. A bit farther along, an unpaved road turns west off
Rte. 89, leading to the remains of a two-room, sod-roofed cabin that was once the home of
Pierce and Margaret Cunningham. Exemplars of the pioneering spirit, the couple worked
this harsh land tenaciously from 1890 until 1928, surviving in spite of the region's harsh
winters, short summers (the growing season lasts only three months), and extreme isola-
tion.
12.
Oxbow Bend Turnout
Just south of Moran the drive crosses the tiny Buffalo Fork River, where Walter Delacy
prospected for gold in the 1860s. He found no gold, so he journeyed north and discovered
an even greater treasure, whose name at least sounds golden: Yellowstone. The artless map
he made of the area inspired two major Yellowstone expeditions, the latter of which led in
1872 to the establishment of our first national park.
Far off to the west is 12,605-foot Mt. Moran, named for artist Thomas Moran, whose
paintingsoftheWestwowedthefolksbackeast.Fartherdowntheroad,attheOxbowBend
Turnout, moose and mule deer roam the thickets along the Snake River, and its whispering
waters are home to beavers, otters, and muskrats. For a closer look at the meander itself,
taketheshortunpavedroadsouthtoCattlemans Bridge.Becausethewaterisslow-moving
here, plants are anchored to the fertile riverbed and fish gather in schools, attracting pelic-
ans, great blue herons, cormorants, and bald eagles.
13.
Signal Mountain
At Jackson Lake Junction turn south on Teton Park Road (closed in winter). A few miles
farther along, turn east onto Signal Mountain Road, a paved spur leading to the top of Sig-
nalMountain,about1,000feetabovethevalleyfloor.Theviewsfromthisroadareperhaps
the grandest in the Jackson Hole area. At the Jackson Point Overlook, half a mile short of
the summit, a sweeping panorama faces west, toward the Tetons. The view was etched in-
to the national consciousness when, from this exact spot in 1878, William Henry Jackson
photographed Mt. Moran reflected in the surface of Jackson Lake. (Despite his contribu-
tion, the valley is not named for that particular Jackson. It was casually christened Jackson
Hole in the early 1800s because an itinerant trapper, David Jackson, considered it his turf.)
FromSignalMountain'ssummityoucanseeallthewaynorthtoYellowstone.Twogleam-
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