The 1953 Western drama Shane immersed viewers in the beauty and frontier spirit of the late 19th century American West. Director George Stevens chose the breathtaking backdrop of Wyoming for much of the film‘s outdoor scenery, using real locations that still inspire awe and admiration today. Let‘s explore some of the major filming sites that contributed to the movie‘s unforgettable setting.
Jackson Hole: The Perfect Backdrop for Shane
The majority of Shane was filmed in the majestic valley of Jackson Hole in northwestern Wyoming. Known for its wild, untouched beauty with the Teton Range soaring overhead, it‘s easy to see why director George Stevens chose this for the setting of Shane. The scenic valley evokes the feeling of an unspoiled frontier, just waiting to be settled.
Let me take you on a tour of the iconic Shane filming locations around Jackson Hole and tell you some inside stories from the production!
Flint Creek, Snake River, Granite Creek, and the ranchlands near Kelly and Moose offered stunning vistas of the rugged landscape with the Teton peaks in the distance. The cast and crew stayed at the historic 4 Lazy F dude ranch in Jackson Hole during the 4 month production, from May to August 1952.
Fun fact: the 4 Lazy F was founded in 1926 and is still operating today! You can even stay in the same cabins where Alan Ladd and Jean Arthur lodged over 70 years ago.
Grand Teton National Park, which was established in 1929, gave Stevens access to pristine natural settings like no other for scenes of riding through untamed wilderness and depicting the homestead where the Starrett family lived. Just gazing up at those sawtooth rocky peaks rising over 7,000 feet, you feelSMALL, just like the humans trying to tame this wild land in the Old West.
Jackson Hole‘s town square was perfect for the bustling frontier settlement where Shane first arrives on his horse and gets into a scrap with the antagonist Jack Wilson. The town still has many preserved Old West buildings dating back to the late 1800s when Wyoming was just opening up to settlers.
Fun fact: Jackson Hole‘s first homesteaders moved to the valley in 1884. But it remained sparsely populated, with only about 60 residents in the town of Jackson by 1900. The backdrop for Shane was still very much an untamed frontier at the end of the 19th century.
The Untamed Beauty of Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park offered some of the most stunning vistas for Shane‘s outdoor scenes. Established in 1929 to preserve the Teton Range and lakes at their base, the park encompassed over 400 square miles by the 1950s when filming took place.
The iconic silhouette of the Grand Teton itself is featured in one of Shane‘s final shots, serving as a reminder of the "untamable spirit of the land" the protagonists were striving to settle. At 13,775 feet, the Grand is the central peak of the Teton Range, towering over the valley floor 5,000 feet below.
The Teton Range is the youngest section of the Rocky Mountains, only 9 million years old! It was uplifted by faulting and continued thrusting of the earth‘s crust, making it jagged, steep, and breathtaking to behold. No wonder the director chose this for Shane. The Tetons embodied the rugged, untamed spirit of the West.
Fun fact: Mount Moran at 12,605 feet was also named after a character in Shane! Thomas Moran was an artist who accompanied early expeditions to Yellowstone and painted many scenes of the Tetons.
Filming Along the Snake River
The Snake River also figures prominently in Shane as the setting for the Starrett homestead. Sections near Jackson Hole and farther south along the Snake near Thompson were used for filming ranch scenes and outdoor action sequences.
Originating from the Teton Range, the Snake River flows over 1,000 miles through Idaho, forming part of the boundary with Wyoming. Its waters nurture the fertile valley that attracted settlers like the Starretts in Shane. But the surrounding sagebrush plains and canyons still presented challenges for survival.
The Snake River valley is actually part of the "Red Desert" region of southern Wyoming. This high desert landscape inspired the original Shane novel. Though the film opted for Jackson Hole, you can see how this rugged sage and rock terrain evoked a harsh, untamed frontier for homesteaders.
Filming Beyond Wyoming‘s Borders
While most of Shane immersed viewers in quintessential Wyoming landscapes, some key scenes were captured in neighboring states:
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Sun Valley, Idaho: The sunny picnic scene with Joe and Marian Starrett soon after their arrival was filmed near Sun Valley, known for its stunning mountain scenery.
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Utah: Echo Canyon southeast of Salt Lake City offered dramatic cliffs for the wagon and train bridge crossing scenes on Shane‘s journey to Wyoming.
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California: Interior shots of a cabin were staged near Big Pines in the San Gabriel Mountains. The Universal Studios backlot hosted recreated "Jackson Hole" sets.
Visiting the Filming Locations Today
Luckily for fans of Shane, many of the iconic filming locations in and around Jackson Hole are protected parts of Grand Teton National Park or scenic public lands along the Snake River. You can stand in those same breathtaking spots seen in the film and marvel at the natural beauty that drew in settlers over a century ago.
From the steep trails up Mount Moran to the shores of Jackson Lake with the Tetons reflected on its surface, the real places that starred in Shane allow you to step into the past and imagine the life of homesteaders trying to tame this country. The frontier spirit lives on in northern Wyoming.
So if you‘re a fan of Shane or just love spectacular mountain scenery, I highly recommend visiting Jackson Hole and Grand Teton to see where this beloved Western was brought to life! Let the majestic views anduntamed landscape transport you back to the Old West.
