​​Colter Pass

Three miles up from Cooke City lies the small settlement of Colter Pass, first established in 1896 when Grover Cleavland signed 3 160 acre lots over to Samuel B. Wyman. The Western Smelting and Power Company purchased one of the lots in 1927 for $1000 while the Jackson’s ran cows on another lot to provide the area with milk and later a butcher shop in Cooke City. The area quickly became a tourist’s destination for those wanting the true “dude ranch” experience complete with horseback rides into the neighboring mountains. This small community received its namesake from that of the great American mountaineer John Colter. The man of legend and truth.