In the course of compilation, between 1810 and 1814, Clark must have sent a redrawing of the route of Colter’s journey.[358] By way of review, let it be remembered that Colter reached St. Louis in May of 1810. He called on Clark and evidently presented several sheets of trapper map to him. This was the material which depicted his journey of 1807, and it seemed to be highly appreciated by Clark. That it was given preference by Clark over the contemporary exploration of Zebulon M. Pike simply substantiates the belief that Colter’s journey made a profound impression upon Clark at that time.[359] On December 20, 1810, Clark apparently sent the original Colter sheets, or properly redrawn copies of them, to Nicholas Biddle. Clark also inserted, or superimposed, two rivers upon the Colter drawing. They were Clarks Fork and Bighorn rivers.
It is important to remember that Clark had full confidence in Colter’s representation of his journey at this time, that is, December, 1810. The following year Andrew Henry returned from his exploration of the Madison and Snake river regions. He had seen only ordinary country. This report seems to have destroyed Clark’s belief in Colter’s story of marvels. Not wishing to deceive anyone by the delusions of a deranged trapper’s mind, Clark apparently directed Samuel Lewis to retain Colter’s east plat, that is, the Buffalo Bill country, but suppress the western section, the Yellowstone Lake region. In lieu of Colter’s depiction of the western loop of his figure eight Clark evidently sent the draft that now appears on the Map of 1814.
What possible reason can be assigned for this action? It is anybody’s guess; no one can now determine what Clark thought, but following is a rational hypothesis: In the close of the year 1811, Andrew Henry and his men returned from their trapping venture in the Upper Snake River basin. They had skirted the western border of Wonderland along the line of the Madison and Gallatin rivers and explored the sources of Henrys Fork of the Snake River. Yet, Henry had not seen any hot springs, geysers, or great lakes. No doubt Henry had heard trappers joke about “Colter’s Hell.” Personally, he showed no confidence in it. Evidently both he and Clark considered that Henry’s and Colter’s journeys overlapped. Actually, the Gallatin Range intervened between them. It is reasonable, therefore, that Henry’s report and attitude affected Clark’s original belief in Colter’s story. Where he first believed he now doubted. Perhaps Clark concluded that Colter’s terrible experiences had deranged his mind. It is certain that Clark sent his new knowledge of the Henrys Fork country to Biddle in 1812 because it appears on the Map of 1814.[360] It was undoubtedly at this time that Clark sent in his redrawn, guesswork version of the western portion of Colter’s map. No one knows exactly what changes Clark made, but the Map of 1814 proves conclusively that Clark did not depict the “Colter’s Hell” country which contains the wonders of Yellowstone Park as it was originally presented to him.
It was a valid reaction for Clark to have become suspicious of Colter’s reliability, and the substitution of his own geographical speculation for Colter’s Yellowstone sketch was probably sincere. Clark was too honest to depict the delusions of an “insane” man. Also he was very anxious to have a reasonably complete and integrated map. The only alternatives were to allow the Colter marvel sheet to appear or else to mark a considerable area “unexplored.” He was caught in the bonds of uncertainty and made a compromise. The result was a sheet of bogus geography which is entirely incongruous, not only with the facts, but with Clark’s uniformly excellent map work.[361]
Clark’s choice of alternatives only complicated the problem of his cartographer. Lewis no doubt recognized the vast discrepancies between Colter’s genuine depiction and Clark’s counterfeit so he evidently decided upon a compromise of his own. How this expert reconciled the conflicting data of the two map sheets into one pattern is at once a masterpiece in cartography and psychology. The technique he adopted might be called “double entry map making.” He used the Yellowstone Lake part of Colter’s sketch as an element for a concealed map; it appears as a mountain range. Such a grotesque range cannot be found in any of the surrounding territory, but when visualized as a lake it is amazing how it conforms to what a trapper traveling a logical route would have seen of Yellowstone Lake, namely, the South Arm and Thumb. Lewis shied away from any clear-cut representation of the geyser region. However, besides including the disguised lake portion of Colter’s map, he did other things to “poke fun” at Clark’s speculations. He drew Lake Eustis in the manner of a gargoyle. It must have been deliberately “satanized.” Nothing with such a preposterous shape was ever known among men. Why didn’t Clark revolt at this representation? Surely he never drew anything like that himself. That is not all of Lewis’ “fun making.” He drew still another lake and gave it the shape of a deformed piece of liver. Its appearance is ridiculous in the other extreme,[362] but, as if to add insult to injury, Mr. Lewis raised a question as to this lake’s legitimacy. Clark named it Biddle in honor of his patron, Nicholas Biddle, whereas, upon the English version, the name appearing is Riddle! Lewis was able to “get away” with this performance because Clark did not see any proofs, only the published work.
J. N. Barry
“Double-entry” map of Yellowstone.
Samuel Lewis’ “Double-entry” map. An attempt to reconcile Colter’s draft of the Yellowstone country with Clark’s obvious assumptions.
When segregated these “concealed” elements give a logical representation of what Colter undoubtedly saw, namely the southwest arm and thumb of Yellowstone Lake.