John Colter - His Years in the Rockies (Paperback)

A biography of an actual figure of legendary stature, whose extraordinary exploits were puffed up by conjecture and exaggeration and faulty recall- here restored to scale by a careful examination of the actual evidence. Virginia born and bred, John Colter became a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition and stayed with it for three years, left it to become a partner with two trappers, and then joined up with the Spaniard Manuel Lisa who established a trading post on the upper Missouri. Colter's subsequent trail blazing through 500 miles of mountainous terrain during seemingly impossible winter conditions became the fabled Colter's Route (mis-mapped by Clark) during which he discovered Yellowstone Park and some gaseous springs known as Colter's Hell. His return to Lisa's Fort was followed by his dangerous encounter with the Blackfeet and a chilling escape- literally (bare naked) and figuratively, and in a few more years led to his shortlived retirement in St. Louis where he died- more quietly- of jaundice.... Americana, and early American adventure which makes up a tough-grained saga of deed and character. (Kirkus Reviews)

John Colter was a crack hunter with the Lewis and Clark expedition before striking out on his own as a mountain man and fur trader. A solitary journey in the winter of 1807-8 took him into present-day Wyoming. To unbelieving trappers he later reported sights that inspired the name of Colter's Hell. It was a sulfurous place of hidden fires, smoking pits, and shooting water. And it was real. John Colter is known to history as probably the first white man to discover the region that now includes Yellowstone National Park. In a classic book, first published in 1952, Burton Harris weighs the facts and legends about a man who was dogged by misfortune and "robbed of the just rewards he had earned."

This Bison Book edition includes a 1977 addendum by the author and a new introduction by David Lavender, who considers Colter's remarkable winter journey in the light of current scholarship.

General

Imprint:	Bison Books
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	March 1993
First published:	March 1993
Authors:	Burton Harris
Introduction by:	David Lavender
Dimensions:	229 x 152 x 12mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - Trade
Pages:	184
ISBN-13:	978-0-8032-7264-4
Categories:	Books Promotions
LSN:	0-8032-7264-2
Barcode:	9780803272644

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