The Brinkerhoff

The Brinkerhoff is a historic vacation lodge on the shore of Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. It is significant not as a conventional consumer brand or hospitality chain, but as a preserved architectural property associated with the development of private vacation retreats in the American West. The lodge is regarded as the last remaining example of a forest-lease vacation lodge in Grand Teton National Park and illustrates the transition of rustic park architecture from heavy, highly picturesque public-building forms toward a more refined style intended for private leisure residences. The property originated in the period when lands later incorporated into Grand Teton National Park were administered by the United States Forest Service. In 1930, Ben Sheffield received a Forest Service lease for a Jackson Lake parcel. His house subsequently burned during the 1940s, and the lease was later acquired by R. E. McConaughy. In 1947, Zachery K. Brinkerhoff Sr. and his son purchased the lease and commissioned a new retreat. The Brinkerhoffs were associated with the Brinkerhoff Drilling Company, an oil-development business, and developed the property as a family vacation residence rather than as a commercial resort. Casper, Wyoming, architect Jan Wilding designed the main house and a smaller caretaker's cottage. Construction was carried out by Scotty Sloten and four Swedish-descended carpenters from Wyoming's Wind River Valley, whose experience with log construction helped give the property its distinctive character. The house was furnished with Western-style furniture and decorative objects by designer Thomas C. Molesworth. Those furnishings remained with the property when it was sold to the National Park Service in 1955. The lodge consists of a partially two-story log house with dressed-log construction, vertical wood sheathing on the upper level, and a front gable finished with planks arranged in a V-shaped pattern. A full-width western deck faces Mount Moran and Jackson Lake. The interior includes a two-story living room, knotty-pine paneling, and polished wood floors. The caretaker's cottage echoes the design of the main building. Together, the structures preserve an unusually complete example of a postwar rustic retreat in which traditional materials were combined with more finished detailing and domestic comfort. After acquiring the property, the National Park Service used The Brinkerhoff for official lodging and meetings, including accommodation for visiting dignitaries. Its association with presidential visitors, including John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon, brought the lodge considerable public attention. The property was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 23, 1990. It continues to be managed as a National Park Service historic resource rather than marketed as a generally available commercial lodging brand.

The Brinkerhoff's history is tied to the overlapping histories of federal land administration, Grand Teton tourism, private vacation construction, and rustic architectural design. Before the area became part of Grand Teton National Park, portions of the Jackson Lake shoreline were subject to United States Forest Service leases. These leases allowed private individuals to establish vacation properties on land that was later incorporated into the national park. By the early development period of Grand Teton National Park, 111 such forest leases existed, creating a distinctive landscape of private retreats within or adjacent to lands being managed for public conservation and tourism. Ben Sheffield received a Forest Service lease for a Jackson Lake parcel in 1930. A house associated with the lease burned in the 1940s. The property and lease later passed to R. E. McConaughy, from whom Zachery K. Brinkerhoff Sr. and his son acquired the lease in 1947. The Brinkerhoffs were owners of the Brinkerhoff Drilling Company, an oil-development enterprise, and intended the site as a family retreat. The new lodge was designed by Jan Wilding, an architect based in Casper, Wyoming. Wilding worked in a regional rustic idiom but gave the residence a cleaner and more carefully finished appearance than the deliberately rough-hewn style common in earlier public buildings around Jackson Hole. Scotty Sloten and four carpenters of Swedish descent from the Wind River Valley built the structure. Their knowledge of log construction was reflected in the dressed-log walls and carefully executed timber details. The interior was furnished with Western-style work by Thomas C. Molesworth, a designer noted for furniture and decorative objects inspired by the landscapes and cultures of the American West. The combination of log construction, Western furnishings, knotty-pine surfaces, and polished floors made the building both rustic and domestic. Its architecture therefore represented a transition: it retained the visual language of national-park rustic design while adapting that language to the expectations of a private postwar vacation home. The National Park Service acquired the property from the Brinkerhoff family in 1955, reportedly with the Molesworth furnishings included. Rather than operate it as an ordinary public resort, the Park Service used it for official meetings and lodging. The presence of prominent visitors, including Presidents John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon, increased the lodge's historical visibility. These visits also helped distinguish The Brinkerhoff from the many private vacation structures that once occupied leased sites around Jackson Lake. Architecturally, the main building is a partial two-story log structure. Its upper story is clad in vertical wood sheathing, while the front gable uses a V-patterned plank treatment. A deck runs across the western side and overlooks Jackson Lake and Mount Moran. Inside, a two-story living room provides the principal spatial feature, supported by knotty-pine paneling and polished wood floors. The smaller caretaker's cottage follows the design vocabulary of the main lodge. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 23, 1990. Its importance rests on its architectural integrity, its connection to the Forest Service lease system, its association with Grand Teton's institutional history, and its preservation of a transitional postwar rustic style. Today, The Brinkerhoff remains a National Park Service property used for official purposes. It is best understood as a historic place and architectural resource rather than as an independent commercial lodging brand.

• 1990

  Listed on the National Register of Historic Places

  [1]The Brinkerhoffen.wikipedia.org

  The Brinkerhoff was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 23, 1990.

• 1955

  National Park Service acquisition

  [1]The Brinkerhoffen.wikipedia.org

  The National Park Service acquired The Brinkerhoff, including its Thomas C. Molesworth furnishings, and subsequently used the property for official lodging and meetings.

• 1947

  Brinkerhoff family acquired the lease

  [1]The Brinkerhoffen.wikipedia.org

  Zachery K. Brinkerhoff Sr. and his son purchased the lease from R. E. McConaughy and developed the property as a family retreat.

• 1946

  Lodge constructed

  [1]The Brinkerhoffen.wikipedia.org

  Jan Wilding designed the main lodge and caretaker's cottage, which were built for the Brinkerhoff family using regional log-construction expertise.

• 1940

  Earlier house destroyed by fire

  [1]The Brinkerhoffen.wikipedia.org

  The Sheffield house associated with the leased parcel burned during the 1940s, creating the occasion for a later replacement residence.

• 1930

  Initial Forest Service lease

  [1]The Brinkerhoffen.wikipedia.org

  Ben Sheffield received a Forest Service lease for a parcel on the shore of Jackson Lake, establishing the property's connection to the federal lease system that preceded and overlapped the development of Grand Teton National Park.

A preserved National Park Service historic property representing the postwar evolution of rustic Western vacation-lodge architecture.

• Historic vacation lodge · 1946

  Main lodge

  The principal building is a partially two-story log residence designed by Jan Wilding and constructed in 1946. Its dressed-log walls, upper-story wood sheathing, V-patterned front gable, full-width western deck, two-story living room, knotty-pine paneling, and polished wood floors express a refined postwar interpretation of rustic Western architecture. The building overlooks Jackson Lake and Mount Moran and is used by the National Park Service for official lodging and meetings.

• Historic lodge support building · 1946

  Caretaker's cottage

  The smaller caretaker's cottage was constructed as part of the 1946 lodge complex. It mirrors the architectural language of the main house and forms part of the property's historically intact ensemble. The cottage contributes to the interpretation of the lodge as a functioning private retreat rather than merely an isolated scenic building.

• Western decorative furnishings · 1946

  Thomas C. Molesworth interior furnishings

  The lodge was furnished with Western-style furniture and accessories designed by Thomas C. Molesworth. The furnishings were retained when the property was transferred to the National Park Service in 1955, contributing to the interior's historical integrity and its representation of mid-century Western vacation culture.

1. 1The Brinkerhoffen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Grand Teton Historic Resource Study: Touristsnps.gov
3. 3National Register of Historic Places resources for The Brinkerhoffnpgallery.nps.gov
4. 4Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office resources for The Brinkerhoffwyoshpo.wyo.gov