Long before Grand Teton National Park became a major destination for visitors, White Grass Ranch in Wyoming’s Jackson Hole valley was part of a growing industry built around the American West’s landscapes and ranching traditions. According to the National Park Service (NPS), Harold Hammond filed a 160-acre homestead claim in 1913. His partner, George Tucker Bispham, later developed an adjoining claim, and the two properties eventually formed a 320-acre ranch. By around 1919, White Grass was accommodating paying guests, initially in three log houses. Activities associated with the ranch included horseback riding, swimming and fishing, while its library and card room offered indoor recreation. In 1956, Frank Galey and his wife, Inge, sold the ranch to the NPS while reserving a lifetime estate that allowed the family to continue using the property for residential and guest-ranch purposes. After the ranch’s guest operation ended in 1985, its historic buildings were eventually rehabilitated for a different purpose: training people to preserve historic structures.
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