Jackson’s post office opened in 1896, and 12 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 38% of U.S. towns · #18 of 28 in Wyoming. What drives it
Most of Jackson was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1990. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1963 on, and the census since 1900.
The Jackson post office opened in 1896, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Teton (1906), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 59 in 19002020 census: 10,760130 years
How historic is Jackson?
C+
More historic than 38% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Jackson post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Jackson’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Jackson is more historic than 38% of U.S. towns, #18 of 28 in Wyoming. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Jackson’s overall grade.
Wyoming towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Wyoming town has 25.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Jackson’s 13.9 sits near the middle of its state (51% of Wyoming towns have fewer) while its 15 historic buildings outnumber those of 78% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. The pre-1940 share (±2.4 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Jackson’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Jackson was originally populated by Native American tribes including the Shoshoni, Crow, Blackfeet, Bannock, and Gros Ventre. In the early 1800s, the locality became a prime area for trappers and mountain men to travel through, one example being John Colter. After being discharged from the Corps of Discovery of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1806 at Fort Mandan, in present-day North Dakota, Colter visited Jackson Hole during the winter of 1807/1808. Other mountain men who visited the valley include Jim Bridger, Jedediah Smith, and William Sublette, who are responsible for many of the names in the area. David Edward Jackson gave his name to the valley after a winter spent on the shores of Jackson Lake.
Mrs. Sara McKean was the fourth Postmaster. She had the Post Office from 1903 to 1920. This was really the first Post Office in the town of Jackson. T. H. Baxter was the fifth Postmaster. He kept the Office for one year.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
In 1905 the first log school house was completed in the town of Jackson. It was built south of where the present school house now stands. There were about twenty-four pupils. Miss McNish was teacher.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Jackson, 1896 to 1996
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
The Jackson post office opened in 1896, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Jackson rank for history?
Jackson is more historic than 38% of U.S. towns, #18 of 28 in Wyoming. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Jackson?
12 listings: 11 buildings, among them the Miller Cabin (listed 1969, the first), and 1 site. 15 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Jackson?
4% of Jackson’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 points), against a typical 12% for a Wyoming town; the median home was built in 1990.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (14), the Library of Congress (3), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (12), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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