Distinctly Montana Magazine

62 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • FA L L 2 0 2 3 "Y ELLOWSTONE!" THIS WORD ALONE, EVEN TODAY, CONJURES UP OTHERWORLDLY IMAGES IN ONE'S IMAGINATION. It is a name known around the world. While there are other thermal areas, such as in Iceland and New Zealand, nowhere else does it all come together like it does in Yellowstone. Not only are there geysers and hot springs, but thundering waterfalls, deep, colorful canyons, a beautiful, pristine lake and an abundance of wildlife. The first humans to experience Yellowstone were those of area tribes. Yellowstone was certainly known to the Crow, Shoshone, Bannocks, Blackfeet, Salish, Nez Perce, and others. Contrary to popular myth, Native Americans were not scared of "evil spir- its" there, but probably viewed this special place as sacred. This might explain the lack of any accounts or information from early explorers about Yellowstone passed on by the indigenous pop- ulation of the upper Yellowstone Country. Perhaps, seeing the incoming whites as not sharing their spiritual values, they re- mained silent and tried to keep it hidden as long as possible. There is one Shoshone-Bannock legend about Yellowstone and that is about the creation of the Snake and Yellowstone Rivers. The story contains no reference to hot springs and geysers. It is somewhat generally accepted that the first white person to lay eyes on the wonders of Yellowstone was John Colter over the winter of 1807/1808 (although, later some French trappers claimed they were first). Colter, one of the first mountain men of the West, was a member of the Lewis and Clark voyage of dis- covery. In tracing their route back to St. Louis, the expedition arrived at the Mandan Village (North Dakota) in the summer of 1806. There they met two frontiersmen who were headed into the upper Missouri River country in search of beaver furs. The captains honorably discharged Colter early so that he could lead the two trappers back to the region they had explored. This association was short-lived, and in 1807 Colter once again headed for civilization. About one week short of St. Lou- is, he ran into Manuel Lisa, a founder of the Missouri Fur Trad- ing Company, who was leading a party of prospective trappers westward. Among the band were George Drouillard, John Potts, and Peter Weiser, whom Colter knew as former members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Colter once again decided to re- turn to the wilderness. After helping to establish a trading post at the confluence of the Yellowstone and Big Horn Rivers, Colter struck out alone in search of Crow to trade with. by DOUG STEVENS Artist William Tylee Ranney's 1877 illustration of John Colter

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