The first Europeans to travel to Yellowstone were hunters
called mountain men. They were in search of beavers, as
beaver fur hats were fashionable over in Europe at the
time. When the mountain men traveled back east, they told
about what they had seen. Trouble was, no one believed
their stories, or tall tales, as they called them.
John Colter was one such mountain man, and during his travels, he passed
through Yellowstone. He couldn't believe his eyes. everywhere he looked there
were amazing sights to see, such as huge geysers shooting water into the air,
hot mud bubbling from the ground, and great clouds of smelly, sulfurous gases.
When Colter returned to
civilization, he told about
what he had seen, but no
one believed his wild
stories. Colter didn't
care if people didn't
believe him; he was more
interested in trapping
beavers anyway.
A few years later, another mountain man named
Jim Bridger explored Yellowstone, and He, too,
marveled at the natural wonders there.
Now, Bridger wasn't the only mountain man to visit
Yellowstone. many others came and went on trapping
expeditions. But Jim was different—he liked to spin a
yarn, which means he liked to tell stories.
17
