Town Square Shootout

From Memorial Day through Labor Day, get a taste of the infamous Wild West with the 65-year tradition of the nightly Town Square Shootout. It’s estimated that more than 4 million people have witnessed the Shootout through the years. 

Presented by The Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce and produced by The Jackson Hole Playhouse. The shootout happens 6-7 pm nightly, except Sundays on the Town Square from Memorial Day through Labor Day. It is free to the public and no reservations are necessary. Spectators can gather on the northeast corner of Jackson’s Town Square beginning at about 5:30pm. 

Insider tip: Grab an ice cream and another type of refreshment around the Square because you’ll be staying put while the showdown, goes down.

What else is happening in town?

What's the Legend and History Behind the Jackson Hole Shootout Gang?

Clover the Killer was a hardened outlaw who rode into the dusty streets of Jackson ready for a fight with anyone who stepped in his way. He was the meanest, ugliest, no-good, hoss-thief this side of Teton Pass.  

Clover the Killer was no match for the Cache Creek Posse, however. The good guys, the ones who protected the women, children, and citizens of Jackson. Every night throughout the summer, starting in June 1956, the Posse would drag Clover the Killer into Town Square in an attempt to hang him. Undoubtedly, Clover never felt the noose tighten around his neck.

Either his thieven' friends would come a ridin' with their six guns and steal Clover right out from underneath the Posse or the rope would break or somethin' would happen. This was the beginning of the Shootout Gang.

Shoot Out

How Did the Town Square Shootout Get Started?

How it all started can be debated. Whether it was a group of businessmen concocting the idea at the local Tavern or whether it was Clover Sturlin (A.K.A. Clover the Killer) coming up with the story all by himself, one thing is for certain, The Shootout was an immediate success, and remains one–the Jackson Hole Shootout is reportedly the longest continually running gunfight in the United States, having begun in 1957.

The Jackson Hole Shootout Gang: a Modern Interpretation

If your smoking gun of interest has yet to cool off, further your ride with local author, Alexandra Fuller’s Cowboys and Immigrants: An African Emigre’s Jackson, Wyoming. Fuller explores the Jackson Hole Shootout and other old west traditions of Jackson Hole, Wyoming in National Geographic. Read the story at nationalgeographic.com.

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