First Families

Cooking & Nutrition

Cooking For many early homesteaders, the cook stove was their most prized possession. It was the centerpiece of the cabin, of the family, and of survival. To brave a burning building to rescue the stove was worth the risk. Meals were served on dishes made from heavy china, and flatware was made from steel that […]

Cabin Interiors

With the convenience of linen sheets to keep the sod roof from trickling in, a secondary benefit was that the white linen considerably brightened the dark cabin interior. This provided a bright surface for candles to reflect from, which greatly aided the long night hours of winter. Luxuries like interior illumination were still in their […]

The First Winter

When the Wilson families moved into Jackson Hole in the late fall of 1889, it was too late in the year to construct their own cabins. Trees needed to the cut, and left to dry in the area where they could be shaped into logs for a cabin. Winter in Jackson Hole fell swift and […]

Utah to Wyoming

Sylvester Wilson was born on January 30, 1840 in Nauvoo, Illinois. He was one of thirteen siblings, and traveled with the family to settle in Grantsville, Utah in 1852. Sylvester’s father worked as a cattle herder and suffered an early death in 1861. Sylvester was now the head of the family, and after several disagreements […]

First Families of Jackson Hole

First Families is a unique exhibit dedicated to the first families who made Jackson Hole their permanent home. The entirety of the research and family photos have been collected by direct descendants of these families. Authored by Melvina Wilson Robertson, the story was an account of Sylvester Wilson and his family’s decision to move from […]