Hattie Davidson

John Colter
The famous explorer known for being the first white man to visit what is now known as
Yellowstone Park, was born in Augusta County, Virginia in 1774 as John Colter. In 1810, he used
his profits from his fur trade to buy a plot of land in Missouri and built a cabin. There he married
a woman named Sally, and together they had a son.
In 1803, Colter enlisted in the Lewis and Clark Expedition as a private. During the
expedition, he was considered to be one of the best hunters and scouts in the group. He came
within a hundred miles of what is now Yellowstone Park when he accompanied William Clark on
the return trip down the Yellowstone River. During this expedition, Colter became very
experienced at dealing with the natives, on at least one occasion persuading members of the Nez
Perce to help him find a way through part of the Pacific Northwest.
As the expedition was returning to St. Louis in 1806, they were met by two trappers,
Forest Hancock and Joseph Dickson. The two trappers were heading to the Yellowstone River,
and Colter was granted a discharge to join them. The three of them began the journey in August.
The three men trapped beavers in the Montana wilderness, but Colter eventually parted ways
with the two and headed down the Missouri River.
The next year, when Colter was headed back to St. Louis, he met Manuel Lisa and his
party of trappers of the newly formed Missouri Fur Company. Lisa hired Colter to guide them to
the mouth of the Big Horn River. Mandans, Arikaras, and Assiniboines, alarmed by the large
group of white intruders, attacked and threatened the expedition several times. In the fall of
1807, Lisa sent Colter out to meet with the winter Indian camps, alerting them to the presence of
the Missouri Fur Company and their desire to trade. This is when John Colter became the first

Hattie Davidson
white man to see Jacksons Hole and Yellowstone Lake. When he arrived back to Fort Raymond
in the spring of 1808, he described the thermal wonders of Yellowstone. Soon after, Yellowstone
became known as Colters Hell. While leading a group Flathead and Crow Indians back to
Manuels fort, a group of Blackfoot warriors attacked.
In 1808, Colter and another member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, John Potts,
began to trap in the region near Three Forks, Montana. The next year, the men were once again
attacked by the Blackfoot and Potts was killed. Colter was captured, but to his amazement, they
set him free. Before doing so, they stripped him naked and took his possessions. The Indians told
him to run, and Colter realized that he was now in the middle of a game of human hunt. He
managed to make it past most of the group, but one was gaining on him. Colter turned and faced
the Indian, and killed him with his own spear. He took the Indians blanket and managed to hide
from the rest of the group. For the next eleven days, he walked the 200 miles back to Fort
Raymond surviving on roots and bark, with only the blanket for warmth.
In 1810, Colter signed on to lead another Missouri Fur Company expedition to the Three
Forks of the Missouri River. The group was attacked by Blackfoot Indians, and Colter finally
decided to return to St. Louis. After living a very short, but exciting life, Colter passed away at
age 38 in 1812. He had enlisted in the United States war against Great Britain, and he died by
jaundice. Nearly 60 years after his death, Yellowstone Valley became Americas first national
park. The only symbol of Colter is the so-called Colter Stone, which is a stone with Colters
name and the year 1808 carved onto it. It was discovered near Tetonia, Idaho in 1933.

Hattie Davidson
Works Cited

Early Yellowstone explorer John Colter runs for his life in 1807 Yellowstone Gate Web.
01/05/16 <http://www.yellowstonegate.com/2012/09/early-yellowstone-explorer-johncolter-runs-for-his-life-1807/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=earlyyellowstone-explorer-john-colter-runs-for-his-life-1807>

Old West Legends; John Colter - Fearless Mountain Man Legends of America Web. 01/05/16
<http://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-johncolter.html>

John Colter University of Virginia Web. 01/07/16 <http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/hns/

mtmen/johncol.html>

John Colter: The First Mountain Man The New American Web. 01/08/16 <http://
www.thenewamerican.com/culture/history/item/4767-john-colter-the-first-mountain-man>