In Star Valley, Mormon Church cattle were summered on lush meadows as early as the 1870's, and later Mormon pioneers established small farms with dairy cows, beef cattle, sheep, and hogs supported by hay and small grain production. As dairies became more productive, producers needed markets, and butter and later cheese were shipped across the country; Star Valley had at least 20 creameries and 5 cheese plants. The valley's extreme environmental conditions and remote location also made it a haven for people avoiding lawmen, including the first settlers who stayed through the winters, and after enduring several winters they recognized that storing winter hay was essential to agriculture there. In the 1940's, the Wyoming Game and Fish began feeding elk, creating a market for local hay. Ranch and farmland provide open space and habitat for many wildlife species, while Star Valley also has notable fisheries and waterfowl areas and is surrounded by three national forests that support thousands of sheep and cattle on summer range. Today the valley is a mix of agriculture, recreational properties, and homes, and the open space created by agriculture remains one reason many people choose to live there.