We’re about to pass the Jenny Lake Lodge on your left. It’s a full-service resort and restaurant that started with just two cabins, back in 1922.
So, are ya wonderin’ how this lake got its name? Well, Jenny Lake is the namesake of Mrs. Jenny Leigh. She was a proud Shoshone guide, a mother of six, and wife to Richard Leigh. In the mid-1800s, Richard was one of the most prolific fur trappers in the Teton area.
Richard, who went by the curious nickname of Beaver Dick, developed quite a reputation among the native American tribes. He was tall and pale, with fiery red hair. He was also willing to pitch in whenever necessary. Once, while traveling through Utah to sell furs, he stopped to help a pregnant Northern Shoshone woman through a difficult childbirth.
Well, here’s an… interesting side note to that story. The father of the baby Richard helped deliver, was a Shoshone tribal leader. He was so grateful for Richard’s help, that he promised, when the child came of age, Richard could “have her”…as a wife. Richard laughed it off. He was already in his 30s, afterall. Buuuuut, 16 years later, the girl actually did become the second Mrs. Richard Leigh. It may seem weird to us now, but in those days, it was fairly common for an older widower to marry a much younger woman. But the real love of Richard’s life, was his first wife, Jenny. In fact, they were both hired as guides for an 1872 expedition through Yellowstone.
By all written accounts, the Leigh family was a very happy one. Richard often wrote in his journal about how proud he was of his strong, smart wife. But, like so many great love stories, this one ended in tragedy.
I’ll finish that story in just a moment. First, we’re coming up on the Jenny Lake Overlook. Follow the signs for the overlook, and turn right ahead. Again, turn right.
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