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John Colter

John Colter was America’s first mountain man. In 1803 he was the second man to join the Corp of Discovery. After going to the Pacific and back with Lewis and Clark, Colter immediately headed west again to trap beaver. Traveling alone much of the time and living off the land, he is credited with the discovery of the wonders of Yellowstone. Later he would fill in details on Meriweather Lewis’s maps for Thomas Jefferson. His Indian encounters have been immortalized in movies and songs.

Shortly after reenlisting in the army to serve with Nathan Boone’s Rangers in the War of 1812 John Colter died when he was just 37. The few items he owned at the time were sold at auction. The only physical connections to John’s life are a few corps of discovery pay records that he signed and a stone he is believed to have carved during his stay in the mountains during the winter of 1808. These items are all owned by the U.S. Government. So decendents are only left with stories and second hand commemorations of his life and adventures.

These framed menus come from the John Colter Grill in Grand Teton National Park. One menu was acquired in 1960 by John’s great-great-great grandson. Thirty-one years later he returned with his children and collected the second. Even the John Colter Grill is now gone, replaced by the John Colter Food Court. While these menus have no physical connection to the old mountain man, they are treasured by the owner for their spiritual connection to an honored ancestor.

To view a larger image of the Colter Menus, click the image or
click here.

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