Early Republic

John Colter Enters Yellowstone Region

winter of 1807–1808
Wyoming
Date
winter of 1807–1808
Location
Wyoming
Type
expedition

What happened

John Colter, a former member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, passed through what later became the northeast corner of Yellowstone Park, becoming the first American citizen known to have entered the area.

People involved

When this happened

John Colter Enters Yellowstone Region occurred in winter of 1807–1808, during the early republic period of American history. The event spanned from 1807 to 1808.

Where this happened

John Colter Enters Yellowstone Region took place in Wyoming. Explore the full history of Wyoming and primary source records from this era.

Historical context — Early Republic

The early republic period saw the United States move from the weak Articles of Confederation to the federal Constitution ratified in 1788, with the Bill of Rights added in 1791. George Washington served two terms as president (1789–1797), establishing precedents for executive authority, and the federal capital moved permanently to Washington D.C. in 1800. The Louisiana Purchase (1803) doubled the nation's territory for roughly $15 million, opening vast trans-Mississippi lands to American expansion. The War of 1812 against Britain ended inconclusively but produced a surge of American national identity and eliminated most British support for Indigenous resistance east of the Mississippi. The Northwest Indian Wars (1785–1795) and the Creek War (1813–1814) broke Indigenous confederacies that had resisted US expansion. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 temporarily balanced slave and free states as the nation expanded westward, but embedded the contradiction of slavery in every subsequent territorial debate.

Source

Content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Source: Wikipedia: Late Native use and Western exploration.

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Everything a full report reveals about Wyoming

This page covers John Colter Enters Yellowstone Region. A full Aubrey report on Wyoming pulls together this event alongside land records, conflicts, and everything else the historical record holds about the area:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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About John Colter Enters Yellowstone Region

What was John Colter Enters Yellowstone Region?
John Colter, a former member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, passed through what later became the northeast corner of Yellowstone Park, becoming the first American citizen known to have entered the area.
When did John Colter Enters Yellowstone Region happen?
John Colter Enters Yellowstone Region occurred in winter of 1807–1808.
Where did John Colter Enters Yellowstone Region take place?
John Colter Enters Yellowstone Region took place in Wyoming.

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