Mountain Man: John Colter, the Lewis & Clark Expedition, and the Call of the American West (American Grit)

Even in 2017, John Colter is the prime example of a man whose impact continues to influence so many aspects of history, geography, and life in the American West even two centuries after his death. Mountain Man by David Marshall takes the reader on a journey that follows early American West explorer and mountain man John Colter, who is one of the first American men to set foot in the American West beyond St. Louis all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Although Colter left behind no known written documentation of his journeys, Marshall uses contemporary descriptions of Colter and the territory he traversed to weave a historical representation of what Colter saw and experienced. The Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-1806 sets the back drop and basis for Colter’s future explorations over the next decade. Marshall goes into detail in describing why Colter was able to have great success during the trek west with Lewis and Clark’s Corp of Discovery and during his time with other groups and his time alone. Colter made an obvious impression upon the leaders of the expedition having been mentioned on multiple occasions. Using the notes and journals of both Lewis and Clark, John Ordway, another member of the Corps of Discovery, and others, Marshall makes it clear that Colter exhibited early his prowess as a hunter and his abilities as an intermediary between the expedition on behalf of the United States of America and the natives that occupied the land that they traversed. Marshall relates one story of Colter’s natural frontier ability by describing how Colter was simultaneously able to hunt meat for the expedition and singlehandedly search for a man who had gotten lost. It cannot be overstated the importance of sustenance for the Corp of Discovery. Colter was of vital importance to the group due to his ability and his value “with a flintlock in hand than a towline or oar” (6-7). As future and contemporary explorers and mountain men noted based on Marshall’s research, meat and the ability to hunt successfully could mean the difference between a pleasurable expedition or a miserable one. Following Colter’s time with the Corps of Discovery, he immediately returned west with another group. Colter’s experience and desire for the freshness of the recently explored territory made him an excellent guide for groups heading west. Even as he returned west, much of the time that he spent in the area was spent alone. Tracking Colter in the wilderness following his time with Lewis and Clark requires a unique perception and understanding of not only his contemporaries but also the geographic obstacles that he faced. Marshall painstakingly examines the records and writings of Colter’s fellow explorers for mentions of Colter. Although Colter’s name is somewhat scarce in these texts, Marshall uses these texts to relate to the reader what it took for Colter to survive. Of special note is Colter’s experiences between 1808 and 1810. The recollections of Thomas James, author of Three Years Among The Indians, contain perhaps the most useful stories involving Colter, including his time with a party at Henry’s Fort and his interactions with the Blackfeet Indians. Marshall includes much of the relevant text in this book, and he interprets it succinctly by emphasizing how Colter reacted to these experiences. Personally, stories of adventure and discovery interest me. One of my favorite excerpts of Marshall’s book is a very specific story of a hidden salt mine somewhere in the Rocky Mountains around the headwaters of the Shoshone River, which was called Stinking Water River when it was first discovered. Marshall notes that this salt mine, which is listed clearly on William Clark’s map of 1810, is still likely undiscovered. Although Colter probably never visited the cave, it is likely that he related the information to Clark to be included on the map. Using Marshall’s substantial footnotes and information regarding this topic, I attempted to use Google Earth to track down potential locations for this cave. Likewise, I very much enjoyed using this book in conjunction with Google Earth to “visit” the sites Colter visited using modern technology. Short of actually visiting many of these sites, as Marshall did, Google Earth offers an surprising ability to examine geography and topography of the American West from the comfort of one’s home. Perhaps one of the most useful inclusions in this work is Marshall’s list of sites, along with GPS coordinates, that Colter visited. It is especially useful since Marshall included both modern and historic names for each entry. David Marshall’s extensively researched book stands out as a great resource for information regarding not only John Colter, but also his contemporaries. Using historical references of the lifestyle of mountain men of the early 19th century along with his own knowledge of frontier life, Marshall has composed a work that compiles information about how mountain men survived and struggled during their time of early American exploration. The era immediately following the Louisiana Purchase is perhaps the most raw American moment in the United States’ 240 + year history. John Colter experienced this era of raw exploration firsthand. Seeing what Colter saw and experiencing what Colter experienced is all but impossible now, but Marshall takes what we know about Colter and what we know about how he lived and he constructs Colter’s story. John Colter is an American icon, but relaying his story requires an understanding of the conditions Colter experienced. David Marshall possesses that understanding to relay Colter’s story to the rest of us.

Sometimes it is hard to distinguish fact from fiction. In the case of John Colter, not leaving a lot of first hand writings to go by, it would be easy for the author to overly glamorize his accounts and provide a bias opinion. I appreciated that this was not the case in this book. Not only is this a close evaluation of limited facts and evidence but was compiled with a genuine drive to authenticate and illustrate actual feelings and attitudes from a past paradigm. When studying events from long ago, this seems to be neglected in present day research. This book helped me to better understand a time period of events I will never be able to experience for myself. When an author takes the time to visit actual sites and use methods of survival such as this author did, there is not much more that can be done to bring to life the attitudes, feelings, and events of that time.

I purchased the book thinking it would be the story of the man. Instead it was the history of his adventures which proved to be most enlightening. The fact that the author went into great detail on the thought process John Colter used to just pack his 30 pound pack was fascinating. By no means is this a boring text book. The stories told about Colter and other mountain men are unbelievable as are all the things they had to consider in order to stay alive. If you're a hiker, camper, out door's person or just someone interested in a key player in the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery, this is a great book.

Mountain Man follows John Colter an American explorer, hero, legend, and namesake of many of Wyoming and Montana's natural wonders. Mr. Marshall not only follows the story of Colter in his book, but also details what it takes to be a mountain Man of the early 19th century and injects accounts of other mountain men and trappers from the time period. These accounts and Marshall's own experiences in the west blend together and result in a detailed and vivid report of the early 19th century Louisiana purchase territory, it's exploration and the trials, tribulations, and wild beauty that accompanied the brave men that ventured there. I found Mountain Man, easy to read, very insightful, but most important very enjoyable. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the territory, history, or outdoor living.

I have read many books on the Lewis & Clark expedition and thought this book would be a good follow-up. John Colter was an integral member of the group. I really liked this book. It was well written and gave you a good background on Colter's travels. It highlighted the Indians he encountered and which tribes were helpful and those who were not! It was amazing to read how Colter survived. Good read!

I enjoy reading this book. It is easy to understand and it gives me details on the Clark and lewis expedition. Glad that I purchase this book.

I like his writing style and the good information provided.

I found it to be interesting. Seemed to have been well researched.

Ein hochinformatives Buch für alle die sich für das damalige Trapperleben interessieren. Eine unglaubliche Fülle von Fakten, über die Ausrüstung, das Verhalten und die Lebensweise im Westen machen das Buch wirklich Lesenswert. Leider nur in Englisch.

I liked this book it gives a good idea what life was like for those early back woodsmen.Enjoy