John Colter — Lewis and Clark in Kentucky
Maysville, Mason County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Lewis and Clark in Kentucky - John Colter (ca. 1775-1813). One of the "Nine Young Men From Ky." who accompanied Lewis and Clark on 1803-6 expedition. Born in Va., Colter came as a youth to Maysville. Here he met Lewis, enlisted in the Corps of Discovery in Oct. 1803, and was known as one of the best hunters on expedition. (Reverse) John Colter (ca. 1775-1813) - Fascinated by the West, Colter left the Corps prior to its return to St. Louis to join a fur-trapping party. He made many trips to the West and was first white man to report seeing thermal wonders of present Yellowstone National Park. Sponsored by the Ohio River Chapter-Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, National Park Service, Ky. Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission, Maysville Tourism Commission.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
John Colter came as a youth from Virginia to Maysville, where he met Meriwether Lewis and in 1803 enlisted in the Corps of Discovery as one of the celebrated "Nine Young Men from Kentucky." Renowned as one of the expedition's finest hunters, he left the Corps before its return to plunge back into the western fur trade. In his wanderings he became the first white man to report the thermal wonders of what is now Yellowstone National Park.
Why it matters
Colter embodies the Kentucky frontiersmen who helped open the American West, bridging the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the mountain-man era of exploration.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Kentucky Gateway Museum Center0.3 mi away · 215 Sutton Street, Maysville, KY
- National Underground Railroad Museum0.3 mi away
- Aberdeen–Huntington Township Museum0.5 mi away
- Albert Sidney Johnston House3.3 mi away
- Harriet Beecher Stowe Slavery to Freedom Museum3.4 mi away · 2124 Old Main Street, Maysville, KY
- Ohio Tobacco Museum7.3 mi away · 703 South 2nd Street, Ripley, OH
Food & drink
- Domino'snearby · 114 East Second Street, Maysville, KY
- Crowe Bar0.1 mi away · 220 Market Street, Maysville, KY
- Delite's0.2 mi away · 222 Market Street, Maysville, KY
- Caproni's on the River0.5 mi away · 320 Rosemary Clooney Street, Maysville, KY
- Dairy Yum Yum0.6 mi away
- Lively Lady0.7 mi away
Places to stay
- McCann’s Motel0.6 mi away
- Sapp’s Motel0.8 mi away
- Browns Motel0.8 mi away
- Days Inn by Wyndham Maysville Kentucky1.0 mi away · 484 Moody Drive, Maysville, KY
- Beverly Hills Inn1.8 mi away
- Quality Inn2.1 mi away · 1428a KY 10
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Related people
- · John Colter
- · Meriwether Lewis
- · William Clark
Related events
- · Lewis and Clark Expedition
- · Corps of Discovery
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Mason County Spy Company
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In 1792 the frontiersman Simon Kenton proposed to General Charles Scott that a company of trained "spies," or scouts, be raised to guard Kentucky's exposed pioneer settlements. The volunteers served short-term duty—most from May to December 1792—ranging ahead of the settlements and earning a reputation for daring against Native raiders during the violent border warfare of the early republic. The marker names the company's members, from Mercer Beason and Archibald Bennett to Cornelius Washburn.
Mason County
Maysville, KY
Established by Virginia's legislature in 1788 out of Bourbon County, Mason County once sprawled across the area of some sixteen present-day counties. It was named for George Mason, author of the 1776 Virginia Declaration of Rights—a foundation for the U.S. Bill of Rights—and a delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention.
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