Jefferson Davis Collie, III

Jefferson Davis Collie, III is a fictional gold miner and a minor character in the original 1974-1976 children's series Land of the Lost. Played by actor Walker Edmiston, he appeared in the fourth episode of season one, "Downstream".

Biography
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.

Notes & Trivia

 * Jefferson Davis Collie, III disappeared through the dimensional doorway at some point just prior to the end of the Civil War. Rick Marshall remarks that he was unaware of which side won the war, but given some of Collie's own statements, he knew that the Union would emerge victorious.


 * The specific circumstances under which Collie and his cannon ended up stranded in the underground tunnel is never revealed.


 * In the beginning of the episode, Collie is heard crooning the lyrics to "Dixie", a Southern United States folk song, which was popular during the Civil War and became the anthem for the Confederate States of America.


 * Actor Walker Edmiston also played the role of Enik, the Altrusian alien who befriends the Marshalls and aides them in various episodes throughout the course of the series beginning with the sixth episode, "The Stranger".


 * Collie's personality is patterned after George "Gabby" Hayes, an American character actor known for playing colorful sidekick characters in Westerns.