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John Colter was the first person of European descent to record a visit to this area, and most likely the first European to have seen its thermal features. Mountain men like him were known to tell whoppers about their adventures, so few people took his stories seriously at the time.

It is impossible to know whether Colter saw features within what is now Yellowstone National Park, or those to the east of the present park.

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Who first explored Wyoming?

Francois and Louis Verendrye are believed to be the first Europeans to explore Wyoming in 1743. John Colter explored Wyoming in 1807, including the area which would become Yellowstone National Park.


What was exploration like in Yellowstone in the 1650s?

The first white man to explore what became Yellowstone National Park was most likely John Colter in 1807. Before that, various Native American tribes were familiar with Yellowstone, but very little written history has been preserved relating to the area by these peoples. The first official exploration of the area by the U.S. Government was done in 1870, led by Henry D. Washburn.


Who was given credit for finding Wyoming?

John Colter (a member of Lewis and Clark expedition), was the first person to describe the region in 1807. He filled in about the Yellowstone area but his reports were labeled as fictional and it was not until 1868 exploration of Jim Bridger, that the area was made known.


What was John Colter accused of lying about?

John Colter was accused of lying about his exploration of the Yellowstone region after he returned from a journey there in the early 1800s. Many people found his descriptions of the area's geothermal features, such as hot springs and geysers, to be so fantastical that they doubted his credibility. His accounts were often dismissed as exaggerations or fabrications, leading to skepticism about the existence of the remarkable natural phenomena he claimed to have encountered.


Which expedition discovered the first national park?

National Parks are not discovered, they are established after they are known. However, I think you are thinking of John Colter, a member of the Lewis & Clark Expedition (1804-1806) that turned back upstream as the Expedition was returning to St. Louis. Colter "discovered" the area that was set aside as Yellowstone National Park 66 years later.


Who are famous explorers in Wyoming?

John Colter is generally credited with being the first white American to set foot in what is now Wyoming, however, it is possible that there were trappers and fur traders who had ventured into the area before then. John Colter traveled through the area in 1807-1808. French-Canadian trapper Francois-Antoine Larocque's journals proved that he explored parts of northern Wyoming in 1805.


What year did john colter discover Yellowstone national park?

John Colter was the first white man to make a written record of thermal features in the area west of Cody. He did not "discover" the area, as it had been known by Indians for millenia. He did this in the winter of 1807 - 1808. His feat was amazing by any definition: he survived outdoors for many months, on his own without maps or guidebooks, in an area where temps of -35 degrees are routine, using hand-made gear of 1807 technology. Trying to repeat his endeavor for even a few weeks, with modern knowledge and technology, would be a dangerous task that only a few people today could accomplish.


Which of john colters stories did most people find hard to believe?

Many people found John Colter's story of encountering a massive, bubbling geothermal area, which he referred to as "Thermopylae," hard to believe. This area, now known as Yellowstone National Park, featured strange geysers and hot springs, which were unlike anything most people had ever seen. His claims of seeing colorful mineral deposits and unusual wildlife further fueled skepticism, as they seemed almost fantastical to his contemporaries. Colter's adventurous tales were often dismissed as exaggerations or fabrications by those who had not witnessed such wonders themselves.


What exploration was done in Wyoming?

John Colter, a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition, was probably the first white American to enter the region and report on the thermal activity in the area of present day Yellowstone National Park in 1807. South Pass was discovered by Robert Stuart and a party of five men in 1812. Jim Bridger located what is now known as Bridger Pass in 1850 and also reported on the thermal activity in the Yellowstone region of Wyoming.


Who was the first president to visit Yellowstone park?

This geography was well known to the indigenous peoples -- the Native American Minnetaree tribe -- who lived in the area, and who named it for the yellow rocks and soil in the canyon where the Yellowstone river flows. Their initial explorations are not well documented and may be lost to history. The first records of Caucasian exploration begin with Lewis and Clark, specifically "... one, John Colter of the Lewis and Clark expedition, had walked alone through here in search of furs as early as 1807." Read more about Yellowstone's history, below. Grand Teton's geography was also well known to indigenous peoples, it being "...home to such Indian tribes as the Shoshones, the Blackfeet, and the Gros Ventres." Again, John Colter's name appears as the first Caucasian to have documented his treks through the geography. "Colter left the expedition to join two fur trappers bound for the unexplored upper reaches of the Yellowstone River. Subsequent wanderings apparently led him to Jackson Hole [Wyoming] in 1807, where he no doubt gazed up in awe at these stupendous mountains, as impressed by their beauty as any visitor ever since." Read more about Grand Teton's history, below.


How big is Yellowstone in square miles?

Yellowstone's area is 3,468.4 mi2.


Who founded Wyoming?

No one person is credited with founding Wyoming. The federal government established the Wyoming Territory on July 25, 1868. The United States admitted Wyoming into the Union as the 44th state on July 10, 1890.