Jay Em Historic District

Jay Em Historic District is a collection of buildings in a former service town in Goshen County that was founded between 1912 and 1915. The settlement contains a general store, lumber yard, bank, repair garage, and residential structures that visitors can still observe today.

The site was founded by Lake Harris to supply ranchers in the area with goods and services they needed. When a post office opened in 1915, it marked the moment the settlement gained official recognition as its own place.

The layout reveals how people worked together as neighbors, with buildings from the 1920s to 1950s still defining the character of the settlement. The way commercial and residential structures stand side by side shows how closely connected farming communities and their service centers were in this region.

Visitors should arrange tours in advance by contacting Hazel Mudgett at (307) 322-2839 to access the site. The unpaved roads and lack of modern features like sidewalks mean sturdy footwear is helpful for exploring the grounds comfortably.

The streets remain unpaved and the site lacks modern urban features such as sidewalks, curbs, or storm drains. This preservation of the early 1900s landscape offers a rare glimpse into how a cattle ranching community actually functioned without contemporary infrastructure.