On his day in 1929 the Grand Teton National Park was established.

One of the most beautiful parks in the world, the 40-mile-long Tetons extend along the Continental Divide, rising up above Jackson Hole valley of northwestern Wyoming. Sacred to Native Americans, the range has awed travelers and explorers through the ages.

"Mountains" said writer Nathaniel Hawthorne, "are earth's undecaying monuments."

The word "teton" is French for breasts, and the jagged range's biggest peak is the Grand Teton, at 13,770 feet (4,198 m). Just south of Yellowstone National Park, the Rocky Mountain region features breathtaking glacial lakes, deep canyons, abundant wildlife, and diverse native grasses and wildflowers.

Twisting through the Tetons is the historic Snake River, where Lewis & Clark explored. This birthplace of the Columbia River system is a rafting and fishing haven.

In 1950, wealthy industrialist John D. Rockefeller Jr., with the help of a presidential proclamation by Franklin D. Roosevelt, donated thousands of acres to the park, creating its present-day size of 310,000 acres.

Of philanthropy, Rockefeller said, “Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege."

Rise up to meet life's summit.