In this part of our Jackson Hole history series, we’re taking a closer look at two early figures who helped put the region on the map: William Sublette and Jedediah Smith. Sublette was a skilled businessman who helped grow the fur trade, while Smith was a fearless explorer and cartographer. Both men played a major role in shaping the future of the American West, especially in and around the Tetons. Their stories give us a better understanding of how Jackson Hole became the place it is today.
The Business of Fur
William Sublette began his fur trapping career with William Ashley in the early 1820s.
He was a member of “Ashley’s 100,” a group of fur trappers famous for their daring expeditions through the Rocky Mountains. After a few years of successful trapping, Sublette became a co-owner of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. But what set William Sublette apart and made him so influential was his business acumen. His efficient market strategies transformed the fur trade. He improved trapping, transporting, and trading techniques.
Sublette is probably best known for supplying impressive goods in the annual rendezvous around Jackson Hole. He was able to organize large caravans to bring everything from rifles and blankets to coffee and whiskey across hundreds of miles of dangerous terrain. The remote gatherings were sometimes weeks long and allowed trappers to buy, trade, resupply, and celebrate the end of the fur trapping season.
Sublette helped keep the fur trade alive in the ever-changing frontier economy.
Opening Up the West
Jedediah Smith was a renowned American explorer, cartographer, and the survivor of a grizzly bear attack. Smith was not a businessman like Sublette; he was an explorer and adventurer. He was the first American to overland from the Mississippi River to California and return. He passed through the Rockies on one of the expeditions he took with William Ashley’s fur trading company, and was among some of the first Euro-Americans to enter Jackson Hole in 1824.
Smith kept incredibly detailed journals and maps of the regions he explored. They became essential tools to the explorers who would travel in his path. The U.S. government also used them to create maps of the emerging American West. His maps were considered more accurate than those of many military surveyors at that time.
Although neither man settled in Jackson Hole long-term, their work in and around the area was crucial to its emergence as a thriving community. Sublette created trade routes bringing goods and people through the valley, and helped establish Jackson Hole as a hub for the fur trade.
Smith’s early recordings of the region put Jackson Hole on the “mental map” of the American people at the time. His findings helped emigrants and future explorers navigate the otherwise unknown areas of the West. Each of these men played an important role in the discovery and establishment of Jackson Hole.
Why Are Sublette and Smith Important to Jackson Hole History?
While neither Sublette nor Smith settled in Jackson Hole for good, both played a big part in shaping what the valley would eventually become.
Here’s how their legacy lives on in Jackson Hole:
Sublette’s trade routes helped turn the area into a key stop for fur traders and supply caravans
Smith’s detailed maps and journals put Jackson Hole on the radar for future explorers and even the U.S. government
Together, they helped shape how the valley was explored, mapped, and understood
Their impact connected this once-remote corner of the Rockies to the broader story of the American West
Their efforts laid the groundwork for the Jackson Hole we know today, full of adventure, history, and connection to the wild.
Float Through the Legacy of the Tetons
Sublette and Smith’s influence helped shape the valley’s earliest role in trade, exploration, and westward movement. Today, you can still experience the landscapes they once crossed, quiet river corridors, wildlife-rich habitats, and the towering Tetons rising above it all.
At Teton Scenic Float Tours, our Snake River float trips offer a peaceful way to take in the views, learn more about the area’s history, and connect with the pioneering spirit that helped define the West. Learn more and book your next adventure!
