Historic Miller Ranch and the National Elk Refuge

I decided to visit some local historical sites recently. One of them was the Miller Ranch, located on the Elk Refuge near downtown Jackson. The Elk Refuge was created in 1912 to protect the habitat and provide sanctuary for one of the largest elk herds in the world. In the 1890s, homesteading cattle ranchers were driving out elk populations and depriving them of food. Conflicts arose between the ranchers and elk, and thousands of elk starved due to lack of feeding area. The herd dwindled from 50,000 to 10,000 elk.

By 1910, hundreds of carcasses littered the valley. Stephen Leek came to the rescue, photographing the elk with a camera given to him by George Eastman. In 1911 Congress set aside $20k to feed the elk and later, with John D Rockefeller's help, the now 25,000 acre Elk Refuge was established. Robert Miller, the third homesteader in the valley, sold his original homestead plus acreage he acquired over time to the Refuge in 1914, a total of 1240 acres.  The Miller House still sits on the Refuge and is open to the public. It has been furnished to look as it might have during the Millers’ time. A nice volunteer docent and his wife provided an interesting tour of the property.

 

 

 

View of the refuge from the cabin's bedroom, just as it looked a century ago. Imagine it covered with elk in the winter!

Born in Argyle, Wisconsin in 1863, Robert Miller arrived in Jackson Hole in 1885. He chose a homestead site that had a large spring nearby and included a cabin said to have been built by an outlaw named Teton Jackson. At the time, Miller's homestead claim was only the third to be filed in the Jackson Hole valley.

In 1893, Miller returned to the east to marry Grace Green of Ottawa, Illinois. Together, they returned to Jackson Hole and in 1895 began construction on a two-story log home, the home that is known today as the Miller House. Their home was considered luxurious for its day and became the center of social activity for the homesteaders and ranchers who began pouring into the valley around the turn of the century.

The Millers lived on the ranch site until 1914, when they sold their home and 1,240 acres of property to the federal government. The Miller House then became the headquarters for the newly-established National Elk Refuge. The Miller Ranch buildings are one of the National Elk Refuge's most important cultural resources. The property has three main structures of historic interest: the house, barn and U.S. Forest Service cabin. The original cabin was Miller’s home during his time with the Forest Service. The adjoining two story house was used as the headquarters for the National Elk Refuge in its early years.

A prominent local citizen, Miller helped to organize the town of Jackson, Wyoming in 1901. He was the president of the local bank. His wife served two terms as mayor of Jackson in the 1920s.
 

Each November, thousands of elk migrate down from the Yellowstone area to seek food and refuge, also providing a popular tourist attraction for sleigh rides on the refuge. Lottery based hunting permits allow for culling of the herd to keep it manageable.Each May, the Boy Scouts are allowed to collect over 10,000 pounds of antlers from the refuge for the huge annual auction. 25% of the proceeds go back to support the refuge.

 

                                The refuge during the winter, covered with elk...

Two interesting short videos on the history of the Elk Refuge and Miller House...

Miller video (3 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U1cuh498J0&feature=youtu.be

Elk refuge and Stephen Leek video (7 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdVsq3h2A88