05/14/2026
Their First Date — Louise Mapes & John C. Turner
In the early 1930s, my grandmother Louise Mapes arrived in Jackson Hole looking for a hunting guide.
What she found was John C. Turner — a quiet, steady cowboy helping his family build the Triangle X Ranch from the ground up.
This photo captures the beginning of a life neither of them could have imagined yet: long winters, hard work, wilderness, family, and a ranch that would become home for generations.
After they married, John and Louise took over running the ranch together — welcoming guests, raising cattle, and raising their three boys: Harold, John, and Donald.
When John passed away far too young, the boys were still teenagers. Alongside their mother, they stepped in and kept the ranch going.
Not because it was easy, but because it was family.
In time, all three sons married and raised families of their own on the ranch, continuing a legacy built on grit, love, and the wild beauty of Jackson Hole.
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