Mississippi Bear Hunter Holt Collier - by Mark Neaves (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Author Mark Neaves guides readers on an incredible tale through the life of one of America's greatest adventurers. Born into slavery in the Mississippi Delta in 1847, Holt Collier was taught to hunt at an early age, killing his first bear at age 10, the first of 3,000 bears he killed during his lifetime, more than Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone combined. The number sounds impossible, until considered in the context of a life that reads like the stuff of fiction. When war erupted in the South, he remained loyal to the Confederacy, a teenager off to war. By the turn of the century, he'd become such a legendary hunter he was tapped to lead Teddy Roosevelt on a hunt that gave birth to the "Teddy Bear." As a former slave, Confederate soldier, and professional hunting guide, Holt goes down as an American legend.

Review Quotes

"So this is Holt, the guide. I hear you're a great bear hunter." --Teddy Roosevelt to Holt Collier

About the Author

Mark Neaves is a lifelong resident of northeast Mississippi. He has spent more than twenty years teaching history in Mississippi public schools and at the community college level. Mark graduated from Mississippi University for Women in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in social studies education. He also holds a master's degree in secondary education from the University of Mississippi and a master's in ministry from Heritage Christian University. Mark is married to Marti Neaves, his wife of twenty-two years, and they have two children, Riley and Emma Kay. He is currently teaching American History 2 at a Mississippi public high school. He also coauthored the book Little Fish, Big Splash. He hopes to continue writing more history books in the future.