COLTER’S HELL
AND
JACKSON’S HOLE
By Merrill J. Mattes
Published by
YELLOWSTONE LIBRARY AND MUSEUM ASSOCIATION
and the
GRAND TETON NATURAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION
in cooperation with
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
© 1962 Yellowstone Library and Museum Association
Reprint 1970
The Yellowstone Library and Museum Association andthe Grand Teton Natural History Association are non-profitdistributing organizations whose purpose is the stimulation ofinterest in the educational and inspirational aspects of Yellowstoneand Grand Teton history and natural history. The Associationscooperate with and are recognized by the United StatesDepartment of the Interior and its Bureau, the National ParkService, as essential operating organizations.
As one means of accomplishing their aims the Associationspublish reasonably priced booklets which are available for purchaseby mail throughout the year or at the museum informationdesks in the parks during the summer.
Photographs used were provided through the courtesy ofthe National Park Service, except where otherwise credited.
COLTER’S HELL AND JACKSON’S HOLE:
The Fur Trappers’ Exploration of the Yellowstone and Grand Teton Park Region
By
Merrill J. Mattes
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Page
- I. Strange Land of “Volcanoes” and “Shining Mountains” 1
- II. The Mystery of “La Roche Jaune” or Yellow Rock River 9
- III. John Colter, The Phantom Explorer—1807-1808 13
- IV. “Colter’s Hell”: A Case of Mistaken Identity 19
- V. “Les Trois Tetons”: The Golden Age of Discovery, 1810-1824 25
- VI. “Jackson’s Hole”: Era of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, 1825-1832 35
- VII. “The Fire Hole”: Era of the American Fur Company, 1833-1840 53
- VIII. Epilogue: 1841-1870 77
- Selected Bibliography 86
- Vicinity Map at rear
BEAVER TRAP
I. Strange Land of “Volcanoes” and “Shining Mountains”
The Yellowstone-Grand Teton region was not officiallydiscovered and its scenic marvels were not publicly proclaimeduntil the 1870’s, beginning with the Washburn-Langford-Doaneexpedition. For thirty years before, from1841 to 1869, this region was a Paradise Lost, rarely visit