JACKSON: The Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum’s winter oral history program series, Jackson Hole Stories: Voices of the Valley, continues on February 16 at the Old Wilson Schoolhouse, 7:00 pm. Long-time residents Dail Barbour and Rob Cheek share colorful stories about having fun and making a living in Jackson Hole from the 1970s forward.
Dail Barbour moved to Jackson Hole in 1970 from North Carolina though she had visited the valley as early as 1964. In talking about the variety of things she has done in Jackson Hole to make a living, Dail said that she “did everything a person could—that people would pay you for, that wasn’t illegal.” Her jobs included cocktail waitressing, washing cars, cleaning rooms and construction sites, and more. Dail has worked for the Teton County Library for the past seventeen years, also at a variety of jobs, culminating in her position as Facility Manager.
A native from Tennessee, Rob Cheek’s first trip to Jackson Hole was in 1951 as a youth. He moved to Jackson in 1975. Like Dail, he “scratched around trying to make a living” and tried different types of work including road building. Rob currently is a commercial real estate agent, having sold property here since 1995. He will share stories of how things in Jackson Hole have changed over time as well as what hasn’t changed.
The programs are held on Thursday evenings from 7:00-8:30 p.m., at the Old Wilson Schoolhouse in Wilson. Families are welcome.
Admission is free for current Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum members; memberships are available at the door. Non-member admission is $5. The series is funded in part by a grant from the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole. Series sponsors include McDonalds, Teton Heritage Builders, Teton Motors, and Wells Fargo.
The final program of the series is on March 8 with Jay and Tracey Petervary, endurance bicyclists.
Please contact Karen Reinhart, Curator of Education and Outreach, at 733-2414 for more information.