Wyoming's Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

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The terms: $850 per acre, no money down, $100 per month at 9%. Come what may, the Hansens figured they could always scrape together the $100 payment. They bought the land without having any other plans.

That was 1977, a time when, Paul admits, "We were pretty naive." Paul and Mary Lou were prototypical ski bums living in a trailer in Jackson. In an attempt at cottage industry, he made jerky and she grew sprouts.

Three years later, a $5,000 windfall helped them decide to beat the expensive Jackson Hole rent and build a home. Paul possessed basic carpentry skills and a penchant for quality work; the result is a secluded 700-square-foot log home that feels hermetically sealed against the lengthy winters—with windows that supply postcard views in all directions. Nearby, their garden yields plenty of food during the 80-day growing season. Evening silence is broken only by the whisper of Canada goose wings a quarter mile away.

The Hansens didn't set out to become as self-sufficient as they now are. The local electrical co-op inadvertently encouraged them to reject mainstream technology by demanding $30,000 for two miles of power line. Paul installed two 35-watt photovoltaic panels with a tracking system, a wind generator and a bank of batteries. Their house is never without juice.

This is no Spartan existence: The Hansens have a washer, a dryer and a pop-up toaster. The refrigerator, water heater and stove run on propane, the tank needs filling once a year. Paul's latest acquisition, a $1,500 Heart Interface inverter, runs their stereo and microwave oven.

Dave and Gretchen Spooner

The Hansens aren't the only settlers to flee to this quiet, predominantly Mormon farming community after the Jackson ski resorts, theaters, fancy restaurants and art galleries lost their sheen.

The Hansens use the wind and sun to make their own electricity.

Dave and Gretchen Spooner are also among the Jackson expatriates. Dave says, "When I first moved to Wyoming from Texas, a lot of people warned me, 'A lot of Texans come up here to die.' It took me a while to realize they die because they starve to death."

The Spooners tried to make a go of Jackson during the real estate boom 10 years ago. "We could never get ahead," Dave says. "We'd save $20,000 and hand it to a guy. He'd say, 'The price just went up to $25,000.' We'd come back with $25,000, and he'd say, 'It's up to $40,000.' "

Anxious to raise a family, the Spooners moved to Teton Valley to manage a ranch. In 1980 they bought a comfortable farm-style home in Driggs for $50,000—about half what it would have cost in Jackson. "This is a really excellent place to live," says Dave. "The prices are the same as they were in the '70s. You can get a fixer-upper and a couple of acres of ground for $50,000."

Gretchen explains that local real estate is a buyer's market because the large farms are slowly folding. Water, at least in the massive quantities needed for modern agri-biz, has been scarce for eight of the last nine years.

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