Colter's Hell and Jackson's Hole

Mattes, Merrill J., 1910-1996Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 141K words
Chapters: 15

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Colter's Hell and Jackson's Hole by Merrill J. MattesAuthor: Mattes, Merrill J., 1910-1996,Language: English, Class: F721: United States local history: Rocky Mountains. Yellowstone National Park, Release Date: Nov 4, 2015

Editor's review

This book focuses on two legendary place names in the Rocky Mountain region of the American West—Colter's Hell and Jackson's Hole—and is a specialized work in American local and Western history. The author, Merrill J. Mattes, long devoted attention to Western historical geography, and his writing is distinguished by careful source work and place-name scholarship. It will appeal to readers interested in the history of westward expansion, the prehistory of the national parks, and the geography of the Rocky Mountains. The account of how the place names arose, the activities of early explorers, and regional change provides background for understanding the layered history of the area around Yellowstone National Park. As a free Project Gutenberg ebook, it is easily accessible and well suited to focused reading or as historical background before a trip. Note that it is an English-language original weighted toward historical sources rather than a popular adventure story, and some knowledge of American history will help.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the history of westward expansion and the origins of place names
Travelers planning a trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton who want historical background
Scholars and students of American local history or historical geography
Readers accustomed to English-language source-based ebooks

Not a good fit for

General readers hoping for light adventure stories or travelogues
Readers who struggle with English and need a Chinese translation
Readers with little patience for specialized source scholarship

Reading tips

Read the introduction or opening chapters first to grasp the geographical scope and historical background of the two place names, then move into the details.
Use a map or online map alongside the text to follow the valleys, rivers, and routes mentioned and reduce spatial confusion.
Treat the book as background reading before a trip; jump between chapters by location rather than reading straight through.
Jot down unfamiliar people and events as you go, then look them up afterward to build your own historical picture.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a work of history?

It is a specialized work of historical geography discussing the origins of two place names in the Rocky Mountains and the region's history. It is not fiction and has no continuous plot; read it as source-based history and background.

Can I understand it without a background in American history?

You can follow the general sense, but the book deals with early explorers, the evolution of place names, and regional change, and the information feels dense without background. It helps to first learn the geography of the Yellowstone and Grand Teton areas and the rough timeline of westward expansion.

What is the best way to read the electronic edition?

Project Gutenberg provides a public-domain electronic text that can be read on a computer, tablet, or e-reader. A reading app with dictionary lookup and annotation is recommended, so you can check place names and people as you go and take notes easily.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Mattes, Merrill J., 1910-1996 Author

Mattes, Merrill J. (1910–1996) was a researcher of American western history. Public information about him is limited, and details of his life and education remain to be further verified. Two of his works are held in this collection, both centered on the historical geography and early exploration of the American frontier. Colter's Hell and Jackson's Hole examines the early exploration history of the geothermal area named after the hunter John Colter in the Yellowstone region and of Jackson Hole valley; Scotts Bluff National Monument, Nebraska focuses on the history and landscape of Scotts Bluff National Monument in Nebraska. The two works show the author's sustained attention to western routes, landmarks, and the experiences of pioneers, with writing that emphasizes factual narrative and local historical research, offering a reference for understanding nineteenth-century American geographical knowledge of the West and travel records.