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In the Footsteps of Lewis & Clark

John Colter, Corps of Northwest Discovery Expedition member

John Colter as portrayed by Paul Franzmann

John Colter, one of the "nine young Kentuckians" recruited by Captain William Clark enroute to the "Corps of Northwest Discovery's" base camp at Wood River, Illinos, was the only member who did not return with the expedition to St. Louis in 1806 (except Sgt. Floyd, who died during the journey).

Colter, portrayed by Fort Walla Walla Museum's Communications Manager Paul Franzmann, was present when the expedition passed through what is now Walla Walla County. Among the more unusal occurrences of the entire journey occurred near the junction of the Walla Walla and Columbia Rivers as the expedition made its way back across the continent. It was here that a Shoshone woman --of the same tribe as Sacajewea-- was found to be a captive in the band of people led by Yellept, a headman of the Wallah Wallah people. Because of this, direct (if complicated) communication between Yellept and the Captains was accomplished via a five-way translation: Clark spoke English to Private Francois Labiche who in turn passed it in French to Sacajewea's husband, Pierre Charbonneau. Charbonneau translated to the Mandan language, spoken in the village where Sacajewea had been taken as a child. Sacajewea spoke to the captive woman in Shoshone and finally from her to Yellept in Sahaptan, the language of the Wallah Wallah people ... and back the other way. It may have been the only situation on the entire journey where direct communication took place using so many different languages.

Colter asked for and received permission from the Captains to depart the expedition as they neared St. Louis on the return journey. Colter, enamored of the Western mountains, returned upstream in the company of Manuel Lisa. Lisa, a Spaniard, was on his way to the headwaters of the Missiouri River (near today's Three Forks, Montana) to establish a fur trade post in the country of the Blackfoot Indians.

Colter continued to have adventures. He was likely the first Euro-American to venture into what is now Yellowstone National Park. His reports of bubbling mud pots and geysers were treated as tall tales and the place was referred to for some time thereafter as "Colter's Hell." A campground in Grand Teton National Park, just south of Yellowstone, is named Colter Bay in his honor and is located on a wide area of the same Snake River that flows through Washington State.

The trading post near the Three Forks was not popular with the Blackfoot people. At one time, Colter was captured by the Blackfoot, but was given an opportunity to escape. He was allowed a headstart and took off running ... naked, barefoot, and without a weapon. He finally jumped into a stream behind a beaver dam and remained submerged for hours, breathing through a hollow reed, thereby eluding his captors.

Living History performances take place in the Museum’s pioneer village on Myra Road and visitors are encouraged to question the re-enactors about their experiences and views, Visit the Museum’s Lewis & Clark display in in the Headquarters building as you enjoy your tour. Museum hours are 10 am to 5 pm daily. Admission is free to members, children under 6, and through a reciprocal agreement, Tamástslikt Cultural Institute's Inwai Circle cardholders and enrolled members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation; $3 for children ages 6-12; $6 for seniors (62+) and students; and $7 for adults. Your admission cost can be applied to a membership, which includes free admission to all Living History performances, priced beginning at $25. For more information, contact Fort Walla Walla Museum at 509-525-7703 or info@fortwallawallamuseum.org.