Leaving The Tetons

A pioneer settler in this area was J. Pierce Cunningham, who came to Jackson Hole from New York as early as 1885. He was about 20 years old. He reputedly spent his first years trapping.

Either in 1888 or 1890, he took up a homestead south of Spread Creek, selecting land with a meadow of native grass. With his bride, Margaret, he established a small cattle ranch, cultivating 100 acres of hay each year for winter feed. In 1897, he filed a desert land entry, irrigating 140 acres for grazing and hay. The Cunninghams produced 75 tons of hay for winter feed. At this time, the Cunninghams owned eight horses and 100 cattle.

After 1895 the Cunninghams used the cabin as a barn or a smithy. A small fortification was erected in 1895 during unrest involving the Bannack indians. Traces of foundations survive. The cabin was the scene of a shootout in 1899 between a posse and two horse thieves, who were killed at the scene.

Cunningham was destined to become one of the most prominent and respected of the valley's early citizens. His homestead cabin marks the site of his ranch today, and is one of the best and few remaining early homestead cabins in the valley.