TETON RANGE

segment of the northern Rocky Mountains in the United States, extending southward for 40 miles (64 km) across northwestern Wyoming, from the southern boundary of Yellowstone National Park to Teton Pass. Some foothills reach into southeastern Idaho. Many peaks exceed 12,000 feet (3,700 m); Grand Teton (13,766 feet ) is the highest point, towering 7,000 feet (2,130 m) above Jackson Hole, a fertile valley and noted ski-resort area at its eastern base. The range serves as a source for the Teton River, and much of it lies within the Grand Teton National Park and the Teton and Targhee national forests. The first recorded exploration of the mountains, in 1808 by John Colter of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, was followed by an era of fur trapping in the vicinity. On July 29, 1872, the first ascent of Grand Teton was made by Nathaniel P. Langford and James Stevenson. Early 19th-century French fur trappers referred to the South, Middle, and Grand (higher) eminences as les trois ttons (the three breasts), hence the name.