Mormon Row

In the 1890s, Mormon settlers came to the Jackson Hole valley as part of an ambitious settlement drive that sent families all over what is current-day Utah, Arizona, and Nevada. The Moulton brothers and several other families built homesteads and managed a subsistence living in the spectacularly beautiful, but extremely harsh, setting at the foot of the Teton range.

In the early 1970s, the park service considered demolishing the structures that remained of these Mormon settlements, but efforts by local photographers helped preserve them. Today, the barns in particular are considered one of the top two or three sunrise locations for photographers because of their spectacular setting, and for many people they are symbols of Grand Teton National Park and the settlement of the West itself.

There are two barns that are the subject of most photos or the area. One is just north of Antelope Flat Road with a parking area in front. This site also has many other buildings, fences and corrals that are in a state of benign neglect and will one day be nothing but piles of boards. Just south of Antelope Flat Road is the other barn set off on its own. It is a very evocative experience to walk around these homesteads and imagine life here over 100 years ago.