John Colter's escape from several hundred Blackfoot Indians intent on killing him is a legendary epic of survival against near insurmountable odds. It happened in the wilds of what is modern day Montana in 1808. Colter was a valuable member of the famous Lewis and Clark transcontinental expedition to the Pacific. When the expedition was heading back eastwards in 1807 Colter met a group of hunters near the Missouri river who persuaded him to stay with and hunt and trap with them in the area since it teemed with wildlife.