Jefferson Davis Collie, III

Jefferson Davis Collie, III was a prospector and a veteran of the American Civil War. He served in the artillery of the Confederate States of America and patriotically served in several campaigns with his trusty cannon, Sarah, including the Battle of Bull Run, the Battle of Antietam and the Battle of Gettsyberg. At some point near the end of the war, both Collie and Sarah fell through a dimensional doorway that brought them to another world - a "Land of the Lost". Collie and his cannon survived inside a massive underground cavern that lead into a dry riverbed. The cavern was infested with nests of Sleestakss, reptilian insectoid creatures that stalked human prey. Fortunately, Collie was able to keep the Sleestaks at bay with his cannon.

He came to discover that the cavern was rich with brightly colored jewels. By touching two or more stones together, he could generate a bright flash of light that would scare off the Sleestaks. Jefferson survived by eating wild mushrooms that grew in the cavern and occasionally sustained himself on Sleestak that he had killed (which he claimed tasted like lobster).

It is unclear how long Collie was stranded in the cavern, but he had been living there for several years when he encountered the Marshall family. Like him, the Marshalls were humans who had become stranded in the Land of the Lost after falling through a dimensional doorway (albeit many years later). Jefferson attempted to befriend the Marshalls, but also realized that they would be an asset in his prospecting for more jewels. In exchange for their labor, he agreed to provide them with food. This arrangement lasted for a very short time however, as the Marshalls grew anxious to leave the cavern and return to the river. A nest of Sleestaks attacked the group, but Collie drove them with a shot from his cannon. Unfortunately, it was the last shot available to him and he would need time to make more ammunition. The Sleestaks returned to the site and Collie and the Marshalls were forced to flee into the river. The river took them downstream back towards the area where the Marshalls had been living. Observing the outside world for the first time, Jefferson was astonished to find that it was ruled by hungry dinosaurs. Feeling that he stood a better chance against the Sleestaks than he ever would against a dinosaur, he elected to leave the Marshalls and return to his underground cave.