Beginning with the Sheepeaters—a band of Native Americans about which little is known—during prehistoric times and to the present day, the Dubois area has had a rich and colorful heritage. The Shoshone Indians called the area the “Valley of the Warm Winds.” John Colter is believed to be the first white man in the area after he left the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1806. Tales of abundant furs and rugged beauty began the romantic era of the mountain men during which the Wind River Valley was a corridor to the rich furs in the area. Then, in the mid-eighteen hundreds, came the “tie hacks.” These burly Scandinavians spent most of the year, broad-ax in hand, cutting railroad ties for the Union Pacific Railroad, then floated them down the river at high water in the springtime. Adventurous travelers can hike to the remains of the flumes used in transporting the ties down Warm Springs Creek and into the Wind River. Until the 1980’s the timber industry continued to flourish in Dubois.

Today, Dubois retains the friendly, western atmosphere of the 1800’s and the majestic beauty of the surrounding mountains. The primary industry is tourism. Visitors can step into the past near Whisky Basin to see the petroglyphs carved by the Sheepeaters and observe Bighorn sheep grazing on the hillside. The streams and lakes offer true Blue Ribbon trout fishing and the mountains provide excellent habitat for a range of wildlife—black and grizzly bear, wolves, moose, elk, deer, mountain lions and myriad smaller wild critters.

Dubois is the gateway to two major national forests—to the south, the Bridger-Teton National Forest, and to the north, the Shoshone National Forest. Dubois is approximately one hour from Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. It is 1-1/2 hours from Jackson Hole, but though it has the amenities, it doesn’t have Jackson Hole prices! U.S. Hwy. 26-287—the Scenic Byway that goes right through town—is part of the Bicentennial Bicycle Route. The National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Center is located in the center of town, as is the Dubois Museum.
 
Dubois Country is a large rural mountain, farming, ranching area extending from the top of Togwotee Pass, some 40 miles west of town, to the division of Highways 26-287, approximately 45 miles east of Dubois; and from the Wind River Mountains on the south through the Absoroka Mountains on the north—an area nearly 3,000 square miles. The area includes the Town of Dubois (about 1,000 year round population), Crowheart (approximately 200 population), and some 2,500 additional seasonal and/or fulltime residents on ranches, farms, ranchettes, rural homesites and subdivisions.