John Colter (ca. 1775-1813),
American explorer and fur
trader, and the first white
man to have seen and traveled (in 1807) through the
area which became Yellowstone National
Park, the first national
park in the United
States, located in the
state of Wyoming and well known for its
geysers, buffalo and
bear. A year later Colter explored an
area of
Montana later known as Three Forks, and one of the tales from this exploration relates how Colter narrowly escaped from certain
death. The
area was guarded by the
Blackfeet Indians who captured Colter, took all his clothes and told him to
run for his
life. Colter ran, and after a
harrowing chase through the wilderness he managed to escape. The story of this dramatic
run has become famous.