Jackson Hole National Monument

[2][3] Within Teton County, private interests regularly fought for their right to use natural resources available to them which worried conservationist parties and started a chain of reform within the forest service to better police grazing conditions in the Yellowstone area reserve.

[4] In 1927, conservationist and later director of the National Park Service Horace Albright, helped to convince John D. Rockefeller, Jr. that the area needed protection.

Legally, the NPS's hands were tied, and Rockefeller, after his visit in 1927, he was stuck with the 32,000 acres (13,000 ha) and an annual tax bill of $13,000 (equivalent to $219,008 in 2022 dollars).

[1] This was not a new phenomenon, however, as many American national monuments converted to parks in the 20th century faced strong opposition from private interests like mining and cattle companies.

[6] Barret made his case in front of the 78th congress stating that "...There is not a thing that is so important that it should be a National Park...it is beneficial for grazing purposes for the livestock and for farming purposes and nothing more..."[1] Barret was speaking on the behalf of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association and the other privately owned ranches in the area who feared losing their income and homes to the National Park Service.

Barret argued that Roosevelt was not in his right to use section two of the Antiquities Act of 1906 since he believed there was nothing geologically, biologically, historically, or culturally worth protecting in the valley.

[9] The Izaak Walton League of America also published a pamphlet labeled "dollars and sense" that statistically disproved ranchers' claims about how detrimental the establishment of the park would be on their number of cattle and price of their land.

They approved the bill under the stipulation that "...no further extension or establishment of national parks or monuments in Wyoming may be undertaken except by express authorization of the Congress.

Congress created a section within the bill that funneled a portion of the proceeds and taxes the Park made back into Teton County.

This phenomenon can be attributed to the end of World War II and families wanting to spend peaceful time outdoors in their nation's parks.

[3] However this upset preservationists like the previous director of the Izaak Walton League of America, Olaus Murie, who whole-heartedly supported the park but criticized the NPS's and Rockefeller's decision to open and develop the land for public use.

The image shows the map and area that was encompassed by the Grand Teton National Park (98,000 acres) and the Jackson Hole National Monument (221,610 acres). The national monument shared part of the park's northern border and the entire eastern border. The park is colored in purple and the monument is colored in yellow.
This map shows the boundaries of the Jackson Hole National Monument in 1943 and how it related to the existing Grand Teton National Park.
political cartoon showing two men in the foreground representing private interest groups. They are rubbing their hands together deviously staring at the trees labeled US Public Lands, Parks, and Forests. They are saying "Boy, we could develop that into some fine stumps." there is a car with a wagon cover off to the side that says "a few more million bucks or bust"
1953 political cartoon illustrating how the US public's opinion of their national parks shifted in support of conservation and preservation against private interests.
Map of the 1972 addition of the John D. Rockefeller Memorial Highway.