Colter’s Hell & Extinct Geyser Basin

Colter’s Hell and Extinct Geyser Basin. . , Colter’s Hell is a large, mostly extinct, geyser basin. Today, there are a few hot springs, and vents which release sulphurous gasses along the Shoshone River. This site includes some of the world’s largest extinct geyser cones and thermal pools. While only about 170 acres of this thermal area are listed on the National Register of Historic Places near these historic markers. Colter’s Hell is actually an area of several square miles. It was named for John Colter, a hunter with the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-1806. When Colter later described the volcanic region, others called it Colter’s Hell in disbelief. Afterward, Colter and expedition interpreter, George Drouillard, entered the wild, unknown Yellowstone region seeking trading contacts with Crow Indians. Representing Manual Lisa’s St. Louis Fur Company, they operated from Ft. Raymond on the Big Horn River in Montana in October 1806. Information from Colter and Drouillard’s 1807-1809 treks resulted in descriptions and comprehensive maps of the Big Horn basin, including Cody. Colter entered the Big Horn Basin by way of the old Crow Indian trail, through the Pryor Gap following the Stinking Water (Shoshone) River. At this site in 1807, he encountered a still active geyser basin and observed sulphurous boiling water pouring into the Stinking Water River. This geothermal area held special spiritual significance for Indians, who placed stone circles and petroglyphs nearby. Both historic and prehistoric Indians frequented the area, taking advantage of the medicinal qualities of the mineral waters.Rotchford L. Barker and Park County Historical Society.