A Century of Grit and Grace

Perched along the Snake River beneath the towering grandeur of the Tetons, Triangle X Ranch is more than a dude ranch — it’s a living testament to the pioneer spirit that built Jackson Hole. This year marks the ranch’s 100th anniversary, a milestone that speaks not only to endurance, but to a century of resilience, stewardship and devotion to the land that has shaped five generations of the Turner family as well as countless guests.

Hardscrabble Beginnings

When John S. Turner and his wife founded Triangle X Ranch in 1926, Jackson Hole was a far cry from the world-class destination it is today. “There were no hotels, no grocery stores and not much of a rule of law,” said great-granddaughter and celebrated local artist Kathryn Turner. “It took sheer resourcefulness and grit just to survive.”

John, a Mormon rancher from Utah, had come north to hunt and fish and fell in love with the valley. He bought the land from local homesteader Bill Jump and began building with his own two hands — and a team of horses. The first winter, the family lived in the basement of what would become the main lodge, hand-dug with a scoop shovel through cobblestone earth. The walls were stacked log by log from trees felled on the property. There was no electricity, no modern machinery and winters that sealed them off from town for months at a time.

To survive, they raised cattle, milked cows, chopped firewood and relied on a barter economy. A mail sleigh carried goods, letters and homemade goods between neighboring ranches. Kathryn’s grandmother — widowed young and left to run the cattle operation alone — famously took a horse-drawn sleigh to town while in labor during a December blizzard. “The kind of grit she had was incredible,” Kathryn said. “In order to live here, you had to love it. That deep love is what’s allowed our family to persevere for a hundred years.”

From Survival to Hospitality

Triangle X didn’t begin as a dude ranch. But when friends and relatives started visiting from Utah to fish and ride, it evolved naturally. Guests helped with chores, pitched in for groceries, and before long, the Turners found themselves running an informal guest operation. “It was always about sharing what we loved,” Kathryn explained. “Welcoming people here was just part of who we were.”

Nearly a century later, that hospitality endured. Guests stay for a week, are matched with their own horse, and settle into a rhythm of trail rides, campfire dinners and mountain sunrises. “It’s like stepping back in time,” said Robert Turner, who now manages the ranch with his cousin, Lucas. “We don’t have Wi-Fi, no TVs, no pool. You look people in the eye, talk, laugh and reconnect. It’s simple — and that’s the point.”

Carried by the Land

Though the cattle operation eventually ceased, horses have remained the heart of Triangle X. The Turners raise, train and care for their herds much as their ancestors did, growing hay on-site and relying on the rhythms of the land. Their partnership with Grand Teton National Park — leasing back the property after selling it to the Rockefeller family’s Snake River Land Company — reflects their long-standing commitment to conservation.

“We wouldn’t be here without the park,” Robert said. “You have to respect it — the mountains, the land, the wildlife. That’s been ingrained in us from the beginning. Be good stewards, care for your surroundings and care for your stock. The horses are as much family as anything else.”

It’s a philosophy that extends to their guests, too. Many families had been visiting for generations, some returning for 50 years or more. “We have guests who literally will their weeks to their kids,” Robert said. “They know what to expect — and they don’t want us to change. They consider it their ranch, too.”

A Legacy of Conservation

That deep connection to the landscape shaped more than just the ranch — it helped mold one of the West’s most influential conservation leaders. John Turner, Kathryn’s father and Robert’s uncle, grew up at Triangle X before serving for two decades in the Wyoming Legislature, then as Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and later as Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental Affairs.

His impact on American conservation was immense — Turner helped reintroduce gray wolves to Yellowstone, expanded the National Wildlife Refuge System and helped protect more land than any individual since Theodore Roosevelt. “His passion for wildlife and wild places came directly from his life at the ranch,” Kathryn said. “The values of stewardship, respect, and connection to the land — those were instilled in him here.”

One Hundred Years of Home

Today, Triangle X stands as the last remaining operating dude ranch inside a national park, an unbroken thread tying modern visitors to the rugged pioneers who carved a life from this wild valley.

For Kathryn and Robert, the centennial isn’t just a celebration — it’s a reminder. “It’s the result of a lot of effort by a lot of people — our ancestors, our staff, and our guests,” Kathryn said. “We’ve been blessed to be stewards of this one extraordinary place.”

Robert agreed. “For me, it means the world,” he said. “We were handed a recipe that works — hard work, family and respect for the land. There’s no reason to change it.”

As the sun sets behind the Tetons and the horses graze along the river, Triangle X remains what it had always been — a home forged from resilience, rooted in passion and forever intertwined with the land that made it possible.