3 Creek Ranch History

The Early Years (1920s-1940s) - The Wilson/Simpson Family as told by Rebecca Fleet, daughter to Effie Wilson and Earl Simpson.

 
Effie Wilson was the first child of European descent born in Jackson Hole. Effie was first married to Don Imeson, a diabetic, who died in 1918 during the flu epidemic. She had two children with Don - Iris and Don. Effie passed away in 1963 and now rests in the South Park Cemetery that looks north over the ranch.

Earl Simpson was born in the back of a wagon going through Nebraska. He also was married before, that ended in divorce. They had one child, Zelma who passed away on December 6, 2006.

Effie Wilson and Earl Simpson, the previous owners of this ranch, had five children: Verna, John, Rebecca, Doris and Lea. Rebecca Simpson Fleet, born in 1928 and now 77 years old, is the only surviving sibling. She lives in Oregon with her husband Loren Fleet and visits Jackson Hole often.

In the summer of 2005 Rebecca emailed the sales team explaining her connection to the ranch and asked if she could visit the property on her upcoming visit. With much excitement, we welcomed her back to the Ranch and enjoyed a day exploring the grounds that she remembered as a young child. It is from this meeting and subsequent conversations that we have gathered the following memories and history. We thank Rebecca for her extraordinary help in relaying the legacy of this property to current and future owners alike.

During this period, the ranch was mainly used to produce hay crops. The Simpsons had 21 horses and utilized beaver slides, a process that is now rarely used in the valley, except for the Porter Estate adjacent to 3 Creek Ranch. In 1939 Earl Simpson decided to sell the ranch and moved to Sunnyslope, Idaho, where the farming was more productive.

Unbeknownst to many current owners is the existence of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp and a Federal Fish Hatchery on what today is considered Estate Site 45. During Rebecca's visit we walked around the area and found several foundations and an outhouse still intact. You can also see the large cement pools used for the fish hatchery.

Rebecca has many wonderful childhood memories from the ranch and plans to share them with 3 Creek Ranch owners and the Jackson Hole Historical Society. All photos have been identified by Rebecca and either came courtesy of her private collection or the collection at the Historical Society.

Originally from Pittsburgh, Bill and Margaretta Frew first came to the area in 1924 to visit the Bar BC Ranch. In 1927, they purchased a 135-acre ranch near Moose, which later became known as the 4 Lazy F ranch. They built a family retreat and personal guest ranch there. The Frews were ardent fishermen so in 1939 they bought a much larger ranch in South Park primarily for its excellent trout streams. Both properties were called the 4 Lazy F but were distinguished by the "Upper Ranch," referring to the property to the North near Moose, and the "Lower Ranch," referring to the property today known as 3 Creek Ranch. The Lower Ranch was used as the private fishing destination for Upper Ranch guests and the Frew family themselves.

Bill and Margaretta had two daughters, Emily and Peg. The ranches were branded the 4 Lazy F for the Four Lazy Frews. Peg and her husband Ted Conderman acquired the ranch in October of 1942. They then sold the ranch to Maurice and Josie Horn in December of 1945. Mr. Horn passed away and his widowed wife was left to work the ranch by herself. Emily and her husband, Henry Oliver, got word from their banker, Buck Buchenroth, that Josie Horn was interested in selling the property. Therefore, the Oliver's bought the ranch back in January of 1960.

Emily and Henry Oliver had two sons, Harry and Bucky. Henry, like those before him, ran a cow-calf operation. The land came with what's called a "Range Right". This means that cattle raised on the ranch could spend the summer on federal land in the mountains. During the summer months they would bring their herd to the mountains, which allowed them to raise hay on the land. The herd would come back to the Ranch for the winter and be fed from the hay produced there in the summer. However, the main reason the Oliver family used the property was for the world-class fishing.

Henry Oliver passed away in 1977 and the property transferred to his wife. In 1980, Harry and Bucky formed a corporation and purchased the property from their mother. The brothers decided to sell the cattle herd since the operation did not produce income. They held onto the property for 22 years and continued the tradition of using it as their own private fly-fishing ranch. Harry and Bucky Oliver made the decision to sell the Lower Ranch in 2002 and it has now become the beautiful 3 Creek Ranch Club, a member-owned private club, golf course, and fly fishing community.

In 1966, Emily Frew Oliver sold the Upper 4 Lazy F Ranch to the United States National Park system, retaining a life estate.