Jackson Hole: How a Wyoming Retreat Became Central Bankers’ Power Center
The economic symposium grew from a small local gathering into a global summit shaped by the influence of conservationists and political leaders. An overview traces this shift from a quiet outpost to a financial hub.
The Kansas City Fed’s annual symposium moved to Jackson in 1982 specifically to lure then-Fed Chair Paul Volcker, an avid fly fisherman who loved the local waters. While the event is now a global power center where figures like Jerome Powell and Kevin Warsh signal major shifts in interest rates, the town's prominence started much earlier with pioneers like Maggie Simpson and the Rockefeller family's conservation efforts. The gathering at Jackson Lake Lodge remains one of the few times a year that international financial policy is dictated from within Grand Teton National Park.