Missouri River near Yellowstone approach — John Ordway: April 21, 1805

water in the buckets setting near the fire, a Clear and pleasant
morning, but verry chilly & cold, we proceeded on. Saw the
hills and vallies on S. S. covered with buffaloe. Some calfs among
them, one of the party dumb a Steep of a tree which had a Goose
nest in the top of it found four Eggs in it. passed round the
bottom covered with timber which we camped on last night
about 10 oC. we halted & took breakfast, proceeded on passed
hills and round knobs on S. S. and a large bottom on N. S. Cap*
Clark went on the S. S. to hunt. Came to us at dinner, had
killed 4 Deer in a bottom covered with Small timber he at-
tempted to kill a buffaloe Calf but could not git near enofe with-
out being discovered by them, the plain being so open, about 3
oClock clouded up cold the wind began to blow as usal. we
dined at a redish bluff on N. S. Saw large gang of buffaloe &
calfs Elk also on the opposite Shore, delayed about one hour
& proceeded on passed the mouth of a large Creek on the N. S.
Called White Earth River.3 it is about 15 yards wide at the
mouth & Clear water & gentle current. Camped on the South
1 Near the corpse of a squaw which had recently been deposited on a scafTold,
the customary method in this region of disposing of the dead.
2 Kinnikinick was the Indian substitute for tobacco. It was made from
the leaves and bark of various trees and shrubs, among which may be noted
the red bearberry, the silky cornel, and the red-osier dogwood.
3 Lewis supposes its name to have been given because of the great quantities
of alkali salts along its banks, which in many places are so thickly covered as
to appear perfectly white. Journal, April 22. He notes that the water is
“much clearer than that of the Missouri”; notwithstanding which it bears
the modern name of Little Muddy River. It flows through central Williams
County, with the town of Williston at its mouth.
200 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS [April 22
Side at a bottom1 came 15 miles to day. Some of the men
killed 2 buffaloe Calfs, & one Elk. We Saw this day 4 other[s] on
a drift. Potts shot one of them in head but it Sunk, the rest
plunged in to the water and swam down the river, and Drewyer
killed & Got one of them, a Cool evening.