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Happy Birthday Tetons!


Grand Teton National Park is located in northwestern Wyoming. At about 310,000 acres (480 sq mi), the park includes the major peaks of the 40-mile-long Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. The park is only 10 miles south of Yellowstone, connected by the National Park Service managed John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway.

The naming of the mountains is credited to early 19th-century French-speaking trappers—les trois tétons (the three teats) was later shortened to Tetons. At 13,775 feet, the Grand Teton rises more than 7,000 feet above Jackson Hole, almost 850 feet higher than Mount Owen, the second-highest summit in the range.

The park has numerous lakes, including the 15-mile-long Jackson Lake and streams of varying length and the upper main stem of the Snake River. Though now in recession, a dozen small glaciers linger at the higher elevations near the highest peaks. Some of the rocks in the park are the oldest found in any U.S. National Park and have been dated at nearly 2.7 billion years!

The struggles to preserve this 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. The valley of Jackson Hole remained in private ownership until the 1930s, when some conservationists led by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. began purchasing land in Jackson Hole to be added to the existing national park. 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.

If you enjoy mountaineering, hiking, fishing, camping rafting, and just getting away from it all in a serene and beautiful setting, the the Tetons are calling you. Happy birthday Grand Teton National Park. And many, many more! =]:)

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