Leek's Lodge, The Father of the Elk

The ruins near Jackson Lake's edge belong to Stephen Leek, who made Jackson Hole his home. Leek became obsessed with the elk that wintered in the valley, photographing starving herds and lobbying Congress until his efforts helped create the National Elk Refuge in nineteen twelve. In nineteen twenty-seven he built a rustic log and stone lodge here as a summer camp for boys, doubling in autumn as a base for guided hunting trips.

Leek ran the operation until the establishment of Jackson Hole National Monument folded it into public land. A fire in nineteen ninety-eight destroyed the main lodge, leaving only a stone chimney standing.