What is Special about Oscar’s Home at Jenny Lake?

The site for Oscar’s story is Jenny Lake is a real place. Jenny Lake is located in the Grand Teton National Park which lies between Jackson Hole, Wyoming and the Yellowstone National Park…three of my favorite places in America. I can’t imagine what explorers thought when they approached these majestic mountains for the first time. They had to be When our family first visited Jenny Lake we just couldn’t believe how beautiful and pristine the lake was. But the overwhelming impact of its location among the Teton Mountain Range added a striking touch to the lake’s appearance.

Aside from the pure beauty of the lake, there was another reason why I selected this spot as Oscar’s home. It was because it was at Jenny Lake we observed, while on a Ranger tour, an Osprey in flight holding its catch by its Talons and flying off into the sunset. It was so mesmerizing that the vision still remains in my head. Once the story of a bird that was afraid of heights, the vision returned and an osprey and Jenny Lake seemed like the belonged together.

I’ve done a little research on the Lake and have found that it is named after a Shoshone Indian woman who married an Englishman, Richard Leigh. Sadly, I’ve found that Jenny, and her 6 children, died of Smallpox in the 1870’s. It was formed around 12,000 years ago by glaciers that carved the Cascade Canyon that now impounds the lake. It is situated at 6700 feet elevation, has a depth of 423 feet, and covers 1191 acres. So it is not a large lake but is a perfect setting for Oscar.

The Lake today is a focal point in the Grand Teton National Park and is a major attraction with its many hiking trails, scenic boat rides, and access to climbing routes onto the tallest peaks of the Teton Range. A 2005 study of the Park indicated that the lake is considered pristine in that they have not been impacted by air or water pollution. There is also the Jenny Lake Lodge for visitors or the Lake is a wonderful spot to visit for tourists traveling between Yellowstone and Jackson Hole.

I guess one of my hopes is that anyone that reads Oscar’s book will be encouraged to make a stop at Jenny Lake. So I recommend that you buy the book and then go visit his home… soon!