History

Fun Facts

• The UW-NPS Research Station is the oldest partnership of its kind, and the oldest field station in a national park.  
• It is said that Johnson Lodge has two stories because Mae Johnson would not have her bedroom be on the first floor with so many bears in the area.  
• Pencil-shaped architecture and embellishments in Berol Lodge are a symbol of Alfred Berol’s lifelong dedication to the family-owned Eagle Pencil Company.

Curious to know more? Check out these resources!

• Grand Teton: AMK Ranch – Brief timeline of the history of the AMK Ranch 
• John Sargent’s Merymere, Jackson Hole Historical Society & Museum – A historical account of the Sargent homestead, written by Samantha Ford
• The Research Station’s Place in History – A historical account written by Lenore Diem in 1978, one year after the Jackson Hole Biological Research Center merged with the Northern Rocky Mountain Parks Studies Cooperative Program, becoming the UW-NPS Research Center 
• A Tale of Dough Gods, Bear Grease, Cantaloupe, and Sucker Oil – Recounts the full history of the AMK Ranch, written by Kenneth L. Diem, Leonore L. Diem, and William C. Lawrence
• Annual Reports Archives – Research station reports from 1954-1976, and 1977-present

History of Buildings

See below for pictures and brief historical descriptions of station buildings used for housing. For a historical overview of the UW-NPS Research Station, you can read the book: A Tale of Dough Gods, Bear Grease, Cantaloupe, and Sucker Oil. We also have a copy in the library at the station if you prefer to read a print version of it during your stay.

Berol Lodge

Built in 1937 as a second home for Alfred and Madeliene Berol, the lodge is home to our popular Harlow Summer Seminar Series. It is also a great place for conferences with two meeting areas, a kitchen, lab space, and a library. The logs for this building came from Arizona Lake, rocks are from the Gros Ventre and some of the walkway stones were from Beaver Dick’s homestead.

Boise House

A ‘prefab’ home built in 1972, the Boise House was once the most recent structure on site, until its removal in 2019, prior to it receiving any historic designation.

Two Room Cabin

Built in 1931, this log cabin was from the Hogan homestead at Moran Gate. It was purchased for $20, dismantled, and brought to the current site in 1977.

Johnson Lodge

A great log home built in 1927 by William Louis Johnson. The original structure was to be one floor but Mae’s (William’s wife) issues with the local bears precipitated a second floor. Logs for this structure were cut at Moran Bay and floated across Jackson Lake to the site.

Lawrence House

Built in 1968 as a private residence for Slim and Verba Lawrence who were noted local historians.

Shop Cabin

This log structure was built in the late 1920’s and was the major shop facility for the ranch until 1977.

Sunroom Cabin

This cabin is a one story log cabin. It was built in 1931 and designed by Alfred Berol.

Tack Cabin

The Tack Cabin is a log structure originally built in the mid-1930’s to store tack.

Director’s Cabin