Stephen T. Gough | Colter’s Run
Published: January 2, 2009
Author Stephen Gough lives in the Tobacco Root Mountains, near where John Colter made his famous escape from Blackfeet Indians two centuries ago. This historical novel, published by Stoneydale Press of Stevensville, explores that encounter, as well as the many other hair-raising adventures of this intrepid explorer and fur-trader.
A member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Colter returned to the Three Forks area – where the Gallatin, Madison and Jefferson rivers converge to form the Missouri River. Gough has pieced together a story of the explorer’s adventures and the passion that brought him back, again and again, to the wilds of Montana. His hero, it turns out, “ran through an energetic and action-packed life.”
Colter was the first known white man to explore Yellowstone Park, which became known as “Colter’s Hell,” and served as the lead guide for several American fur-trapping brigades that invaded the remote headwaters of the Missouri River.
The author – like Colter – is a native of Virginia, and exhaustively researched his subject there, as well as in William Clark’s archival records and through Colter’s own musings and memorabilia. The book includes illustrations by Gale Gough of McAllister; for more information, visit www.stoneydale.com.
We met Steve at an RV park in Ennis. Seemed like a nice guy. He and I could have shared and swapped stories but I thought he’d think I was some kind of celebrity chaser, so I passed up the opportunity. We did buy his book and had him autograph it, however. Pretty good read and very informative about the life and times of the early 1800’s in the (then) far west; and about John Colter, the first, or at least one of the very first true “mountain men”.
Good going Steve.
