Bar BC Dude Ranch: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Grand Teton National Park, National Park Service

Shapins Associates

The Bar BC Ranch is located on the west bank of the Snake River, a few miles north of Moose, Wyoming in the southern portion of Grand Teton National Park. The bottomlands stretch out to the east of the ranch and the ranch is tucked up against a hillside that separates the bottoms from the upper tablelands of Jackson Hole and the Teton Range. The district buildings all are built in a style referred to as dude ranch vernacular, characterized by log construction with other wood products, such as board and batten siding, used for additions or specialized service buildings. The buildings are all one or one and one half stories and tend to be rectangular in shape. In 1912 wealthy Philadelphians Struthers Burt and Horace Carncross selected this site as the location for the Bar BC Dude Ranch. Under subsequent owners, the property continued to function in this capacity until World War II. As one of the area’s pioneer dude ranches, the Bar BC helped shape Jackson Hole’s character as a destination for nature‑based tourism. During the 1920s, its fame spread far beyond Jackson Hole. Owing to the reputation of its founders, to its distinguished clientele, and to the picturesque setting at the edge of the river, the Bar BC became one of the best‑known dude ranches in the West. The property is located in a remote area, and may be accessed by way of the “River Road,” a rough gravel road suitable for high‑clearance vehicles. As a result, most park visitors never see this historic landscape. However, the Bar BC is visible from a pullover on the outside road; so many people see the buildings from a distance of approximately one mile. People floating down the river can also see the buildings as they go by. The historic Bar BC Dude Ranch is situated in a natural area of great beauty. One of its major features is the Snake River itself, which defined the ranch’s eastern boundary during the historic period. At its largest, the ranch totaled over 600 acres, stretching westward from this river across three natural terraces, each one higher than the last. Burt and Carncross built the developed portion of the ranch under sheltering pines and aspens on the lowest terrace. By contrast, the two higher terraces are dominated by sagebrush. Once, a major irrigation ditch carried water across these tablelands to the ranch below. It is now dry, but the ditch is still visible—even from a distance—as a broken line of cottonwoods marching across the treeless flats. Nearly every portion of the landscape offers scenic views of distant mountains. To the west are the rugged peaks of the Teton Range. To the east are the rolling contours of the Gros Ventre Mountains. An assortment of rustic log cabins stands in the center of the ranch. Historically, these buildings housed paying guests and various services. The structures are in varying states of repair, but nearly all are contributing resources of the Bar BC Dude Ranch Historic District. Established in 1990, the district encompasses 38 acres, a fraction of the former ranch. Many other features built during the historic period have been removed or have deteriorated over time. The cultural landscape retains historic integrity, but that it faces two serious threats: lack of maintenance and erosion from the Snake River. The property appears to be at a tipping point. Additional deterioration of features, particularly to the main cabin, could irreparably compromise the historic character of the cultural landscape. The overall condition of the property is poor as of 2007.

Bar BC Dude Ranch: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Grand Teton National Park, National Park Service

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