About this property
Colter's Hell is an area of fumaroles and hot springs on the Shoshone River near Cody in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The thermal area covers about one square mile (2.6 km2) at the mouth of the Shoshone's canyon. Its thermal activity has declined since its description by mountain man John Colter, who parted from the Lewis and Clark Expedition prior to its conclusion, and passed through the region in the winter of 1807–1808. Colter's account of the features on what was then called the Stinkingwater River has subsequently been confused with the much more extensive and powerful geysers in Yellowstone National Park, which Colter may not have actually visited. Other early descriptions of Colter's Hell date back to the trapper Joseph Meek in the year of 1830, as well as to Plenty Coups (Alaxchíia Ahú), a principal chief of the Crow people, who camped with his tribe at the thermal area in 1840. Meek had seen geyser basin in Yellowstone and described Colter's Hell in similar terms, implying that there were active geysers at his visit. Today, the area consists of hot springs and steam vents. Several extinct geyser or hot spring cones stand up to 30 feet (9.1 m) high on the riverbank. Other hot springs were located near the confluence of the north and south forks of the Shoshone, now drowned under the reservoir created by Buffalo Bill Dam. The notion that Colter's Hell referred to one of the geyser basins of Yellowstone first appeared in Hiram M. Chittenden's 1895 book Yellowstone National Park. However, Chittenden went on to describe a "tar spring" on the Stinkingwater as well under the same name. Chittenden's speculation contradicts the earliest published description of the site, in Washington Irving's account of Captain Benjamin L.E. Bonneville's journals, of Bonneville's scouts' visit to the location in 1833, the same year that another of Bonneville's survey parties discovered the geyser basins of Yellowstone along the Firehole River. Colter's Hell is just to the north of US 14-16-20 on the west side of Cody. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Colter's Hell
This page lists Colter's Hell. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Questions about this property
When was Colter's Hell listed on the National Register?
Colter's Hell was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 13, 1973.
What type of historic resource is Colter's Hell?
Colter's Hell is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Colter's Hell?
The period of significance for Colter's Hell is recorded as the early_republic era, specifically around 1807.
Can I research the history near Colter's Hell?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Colter's Hell will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in Park County
Historic places, battles, and census history across Park County.
Explore ParkCounty ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near Colter's Hell will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.