The Hardeman Barns are a highly visible landmark along Highway 22 south of Grand Teton National Park. The buildings were constructed in 1930-1945 as part of a working ranch and include the main barn, bunkhouse, pump house, horse barn, and bull barn. The prominent main barn was built by Wesley Bircher, a notable builder responsible for several barns in the area. The barn features a dramatic gothic arch roof that was a hallmark of Bircher’s barns. The property was owned for several years by Major C.C. Moseley who achieved fame in the aeronautics industry as a founder and executive in different airlines as well as his flying schools that helped to train pilots and mechanics for service in World War II. Later the property was owned by the Hardeman family, a well-known and respected ranching family in Jackson Hole.

The R Lazy S Ranch is locally significant under Criterion A for its association with the patterns of settlement and recreation in Jackson Hole. The first homestead patent was a Desert Land entry filed in 1908, which was later proved up and granted to Bennie Linn in 1912. The proof papers only recorded the irrigation activities but listed that they were for both agricultural and domestic purposes. The homesteading era continued until 1936 when the property transferred to Paul Colbron, who immediately built additional cabins with the intent of starting a dude ranch, and the property was named Aspen Ranch. It continued to be utilized as a dude and private family ranch until 1972 when the R Lazy S Ranch’s dude operations were relocated here. These patterns of settlement and homesteading shifting to recreation and the tourism boom in the early 20th century are seen throughout Jackson Hole. As the Desert Land entry suggests, the land is unfit for dry farming and the soil needs to be worked to be productive. Paired with a short growing season and hard high-elevation winters, a diversified approach to income was necessary. The R Lazy S is the only dude ranch to originate within the future Grand Teton National Park borders, relocate after the life lease was ended, and continue to host dudes today. The historic definition of a true dude ranch was a week-long minimum stay, with all meals and a horse included in the rates. The R Lazy S continues to honor this model today.

The R Lazy S Ranch is also locally significant under Criterion C for its Western vernacular craftsman architecture, also known as “dude ranch vernacular.” The evolution of the property from a homestead to a dude ranch, to a private family ranch, and back to a dude ranch is evident in the different craftsmanship of each era. The property stands as a timeline of log structures in Jackson Hole, with the different characteristics of each era visible. The property retains a high degree of integrity of location, setting, design, materials, workmanship, feeling and association. Though some buildings were relocated from the old ranch in 1972, more than 50 years has since passed which has allowed the integrity and significance to increase.
 

The Wilson Commercial Historic District is locally significant under Criterion A for its association with Community Planning and Development and its association with Commerce. The district’s development origins can be traced back to Nicholas “Uncle Nick” Wilson’s 160-acre homestead established in 1895. Nick was responsible for the settlement of Wilson, and operated a small store, post office, boarding house and livery stable on his homestead. It was noted when he applied for his patent in 1904 that these developments were more of an accident than design, and that the small community of Wilson was not likely to be developed into a townsite. This early assessment turned true, and today Wilson is a census-designated place in Teton County. The townsite was never organized or incorporated. It grew from the haphazard series of necessities with a mixed residential and commercial use into a commercial corridor along Highway 22 where Wilsonites can satisfy basic needs without needing to travel into Jackson or over Teton Pass into Idaho. This growth is closely tied to the development of roads and safe passage over the formidable Snake River.