A map is only as good as the source material used to create it. The source materials used to create these maps consisted of guides published either by the Union Pacific railroad or by the state of Wyoming and a map published by the state of Wyoming. In many cases, the location information consisted of as little as “33 miles from Cody.” In this case, it was unknown if the ranch was located 33 miles north, south, east, or west of Cody. In other cases, more complete information was provided, such as “41 miles south of Cody on Shoshone River.” This allowed for a somewhat more precise location of the marker used to designate a dude ranch. In other cases a bit of triangulation data was available, such as “about 145 miles north from Rock Springs, Wyoming, nearest Union Pacific station, 40 miles north of Pinedale and seven miles off the Yellowstone Highway.” The reader should refer to the attached data files for a listing of the ranches designated on the maps. These files list the ranches, their post office location, and their rates.
In spite of the ambiguity involved in the location of the ranches, these maps are not designed to indicate the absolute location of the individual ranches. Rather what these maps indicate is the general locational groupings of the ranches. The reader will notice that many dude ranches are located near Jackson/Moose/Teton National Park. However, as we progress through time, we notice there were 23 dude ranches located in the Jackson Hole area in 1947, but only 15 in the same area by 1979. A similar trend is noted in Park County (Cody). In 1947, there were 20 ranches located in Park County, but only eight by 1979.
The reader of the maps should know that dude ranches in Wyoming are primarily located in the following areas, Jackson Hole/Grand Teton, outside of Yellowstone National Park/Absaroka Mountains, the Wind River Mountains/Upper Green River area, and to a lesser extent near the Snowy Range Mountains/along the North Platte River. It should be noted that dude ranches sprang up in many of the most scenic areas of the state of Wyoming, and the ranches tended to be located near a body of water.
Information from dude ranch guides published by the Union Pacific railroad was used to create two of the early maps (1925, 1937). Obviously, there were many other dude ranches located throughout the state at those times, but were involved in promotional arrangements with other railroads such as the Chicago and Northwestern, Burlington Northern, and Northern Pacific. The importance of the railroads in the development of dude ranches cannot be overstated.
Clicking on the images provides a larger picture of the maps. The links provide data files for a listing of the ranches designated on the maps.
wy dude ranch 1947
wy dude ranch 1979
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