Description 

Lee Colt is a former soldier who arrived in New Alexandria in July of 1900.

Early Life 

Lee was born Ulysses Colt II on a small ranch in Ohio where his family raised cattle and horses. His father, a veteran of the Civil War, spent much of Lee's first year alive serving as a scout and tracker for the US Army in the Red River War against Quanah Parker and the Kwahadi Comanche. During this time, Lee's mother Eliza Colt and uncle Luke Vance watched over him and operated the ranch. At the conclusion of the war, Lee's father returned home, though he would be called off to help fight in numerous other conflicts on the frontier over the years. Lee was taught to read and write at a young age, and shared his father's fondness for historical works, poetry, and philosophical texts. Lee was given his father's old kepi hat from his time in the Union Army at the age of 6, and has worn it practically every day since. The hat has required numerous repairs over the years, but is still in fairly good shape.

At the age of 17, Lee accompanied his father to Fort Sill in the Indian Territory and stayed there for the next few years of his life, training with his father to learn the art of tracking. Lee followed his father's footsteps and joined the Army as a tracker in the 7th Cavalry in 1892. Lee's service in the Army saw him stationed at Fort Sill alongside his father, where he helped keep watch over the tribes living on the numerous reservations in Indian Territory. Much of his time was spent in the Wichita Mountains, where he would regularly track and kill game to keep the post fed. He would often give any excess meat or pelts to those in need on the reservations. Lee's only major engagement occurred in 1897. That year, a small tribe known as the Sipokni fled the reservation. Lee was ordered to help track down what he was told by his superiors was a war band heading for nearby settlements in Texas. Lee was able to successfully locate the band near a small stream known as Bitter Creek. However, as the soldiers began to surround the band, Lee had a sudden, disturbing realization: this was no war party. To his horror, Lee saw mostly unarmed men, women, and children fleeing for their life as some of the soldiers opened fire. Lee and his father tried to stop the soldiers, but to no avail. One upstart officer, Lieutenant James Hancock, ordered his men to fire into the fleeing group Ulysses was trying to save, and the resulting volley mortally wounded Lee's father and many of the Sipokni. Lee rushed to his father, who survived just long enough to say two final words to Lee: "Help them." Lee, determined to honor his father's dying wish, rode through the cavalry line and demanded Hancock order his men to hold fire. Hancock refused and attempted to draw on Lee, but was stopped with a strong kick to his nose, breaking it and knocking him unconscious. With his father dead and Hancock unconscious, Lee was able to stop the remaining soldiers long enough for many of the Sipokni to flee to safety. However, during this time, the few warriors the Sipokni had left regrouped and began to fire at the soldiers from the banks of the creek. In the ensuing firefight, Lee was shot in his chest and fell from his horse. As he lay in the creek, bleeding, a Sipokni brave grabbed a handful of his hair and began to scrape his knife across the left side of Lee's forehead. In an act of pure adrenaline, Lee managed to draw his revolver and fire, killing the warrior before passing out from blood loss and exhaustion.

Lee spent the next few weeks in the field hospital in Fort Sill under armed guard. Hancock, who had not forgiven Lee for striking him, attempted to have him court-martialed. However, because of his heroic actions in stopping what would have otherwise been a massacre akin to Sand Creek or Wounded Knee, Lee' superior officers refused to charge him and instead demanded his resignation from the service in exchange for an honorable discharge. Upon his resignation, Lee took his father's body back home to the ranch to be buried.

Lee's mother died in a housefire under mysterious circumstances a year later. She was buried alongside her husband on the family ranch.

Present Life 

Lee arrived in New Alexandria on July 25, 1900. He spent his first few days in state getting the lay of the land. On July 29 of that year, he met his first real friend in the state, Lottie Gallagher. Lottie taught Lee all about the state and how best to make a living in it, and gave him lots of help and advice even after he nearly killed her with a wagon. After a series of misfortunes on their journey, Lottie jokingly called Lee her "bad luck charm." Lottie introduced Lee to many of his early friends in state, including Marvin Logue, Kathleen Muldoon, and Simon Thatcher. While all of these friends would eventually move on to greener pastures, they are still remembered fondly by Lee.

Lee began working as the stable master in Armadillo in August of 1900, a position he took after a chance run-in with Cody Calloway, Emery Allen, and Mark Allen. Lee still operates this business to this day, though it is now widely known as Lee Colt's Equine Acquisitions.

He became a regular patron at Outlaw's Rest during the fall and Spring of 1900, where he met many of his early friends, including Raven "Crow"ley, Finley McCoy, Felix Mercer, and many others. Lee moved into Twin Rocks in New Austin in September of 1900, giving it the nickname "Shiloh" (a reference to the battle his father fought in, as well as to the hebrew word meaning "place of peace"). While at Shiloh, Lee regularly looked after the wild horses in the area, keeping tabs on the herds that pass through and taking care of any injured horses he comes across. He also kept watch over a small herd composed of horses that people have asked him to take care of for them. Lee lived at Shiloh until January of 1903, when he moved his permanent residence to live with his partner Scarlet Storm at the farm she shares with her close friends in the East (though Lee maintains a camp out West in New Austin).

Lee was involved in the Siege of Strawberry, a shootout that occurred in the Strawberry Sheriff's office when the Comanche led by War Buffalo sought to punish Felix Mercer for alleged insults he had made towards them. Lee was shot in the left shoulder and thigh, but survived the encounter.

On February 28th, 1902, Lee was appointed to serve as a Livestock Agent for the state of New Alexandria.

Lee formally licensed his ranching operation, the Rafter C Ranch, in March of 1902. The ranch keeps a small herd of beef cattle, but is primarily known for the rodeo horses it trains with the help of Lee's employee Tate. Rafter C has trained and sold a number of rodeo horses, including Rider, Salem, Duckie, and Cowgirl.

Lee assumed the position of State Representative on October 14, 1902, after being nominated by Governor Sasha Stroganov. Lee is currently serving his fourth and final term as Representative, being one of the few people in state to have the honor of serving four terms.

Affiliations 

Quotes 

"Lee Colt, no relation."

Trivia