Snake River Land Company
Encyclopedia
The Snake River Land Company was a land
purchasing company established in 1927 by philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
. The company acted as a front so Rockefeller could buy land in the Jackson Hole
valley in Wyoming
without people knowing of his involvement or his intentions for the property, and have the land held until the National Park Service
could administer it.
The company launched a campaign to purchase more than 35,000 acres (142 km²) for $1.4 million but faced 15 years of opposition by ranchers and a refusal by the Park Service to take the land. Allegations that the company conspired with the Park Service by using illegal land purchasing tactics led to United States Senate
subcommittee meetings in 1933 during which the company and the service were exonerated. Hard times during the Great Depression
alleviated opposition by ranchers to sell.
Discouraged by the stalemate, Rockefeller sent a letter to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt telling him that if the federal government did not accept the land that "it will be my thought to make some other disposition of it or to sell it in the market to any satisfactory buyers". Soon afterward on March 15, 1943 the president declared 221,000 acres (894 km²) of land as Jackson Hole National Monument. The land, however, did not enter federal stewardship until December 16, 1949 when it was added to the monument. The next year the monument was merged into the expanded Grand Teton National Park
.
Real property
In English Common Law, real property, real estate, realty, or immovable property is any subset of land that has been legally defined and the improvements to it made by human efforts: any buildings, machinery, wells, dams, ponds, mines, canals, roads, various property rights, and so forth...
purchasing company established in 1927 by philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
John Davison Rockefeller, Jr. was a major philanthropist and a pivotal member of the prominent Rockefeller family. He was the sole son among the five children of businessman and Standard Oil industrialist John D. Rockefeller and the father of the five famous Rockefeller brothers...
. The company acted as a front so Rockefeller could buy land in the Jackson Hole
Jackson Hole
Jackson Hole, originally called Jackson's Hole, is a valley located in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the western border with Idaho. The name "hole" derives from language used by early trappers or mountain men, who primarily entered the valley from the north and east and had to descend along...
valley in Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
without people knowing of his involvement or his intentions for the property, and have the land held until the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
could administer it.
The company launched a campaign to purchase more than 35,000 acres (142 km²) for $1.4 million but faced 15 years of opposition by ranchers and a refusal by the Park Service to take the land. Allegations that the company conspired with the Park Service by using illegal land purchasing tactics led to United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
subcommittee meetings in 1933 during which the company and the service were exonerated. Hard times during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
alleviated opposition by ranchers to sell.
Discouraged by the stalemate, Rockefeller sent a letter to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt telling him that if the federal government did not accept the land that "it will be my thought to make some other disposition of it or to sell it in the market to any satisfactory buyers". Soon afterward on March 15, 1943 the president declared 221,000 acres (894 km²) of land as Jackson Hole National Monument. The land, however, did not enter federal stewardship until December 16, 1949 when it was added to the monument. The next year the monument was merged into the expanded Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park is a United States National Park located in northwestern Wyoming, U.S. The Park consists of approximately and includes the major peaks of the long Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. Only south of Yellowstone...
.
See also
- Snake River Land Company Residence and OfficeSnake River Land Company Residence and OfficeThe Snake River Land Company Residence and Office are structures associated with John D. Rockefeller, Jr.'s acquisition of land in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Under the guise of the Snake River Land Company, Rockefeller bought much of the land that he eventually donated to the National Park Service,...
: Buildings associated with the Snake River Land Company in Grand Teton National Park, listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...