General
The Grand Teton is the highest mountain within Grand Teton National Park, and the second highest in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The origin of the name is controversial. The most common explanation is that “Grand Teton” means “large teat” in French, named by either French-Canadian or Iroquois members of an expedition led by Donald McKenzie of the North West Company. However, other historians disagree, and claim that the mountain was named after the Teton Sioux tribe of Native Americans.

First Ascent
There is a controversy over who made the first ascent of Grand Teton. Nathaniel Langford and James Stevenson claimed to reach the summit on July 29, 1872. However, their description and sketches match the summit of The Enclosure: side peak of Grand Teton. The Enclosure is named after a man-made palisade of rocks on its summit, probably constructed by Native Americans. When William O. Owen climbed the true summit in 1898, he found no trace of prior human passage. Therefore, The Enclosure was probably first climbed by Native Americans.