Departure from Fort Mandan, Missouri River — John Ordway: April 8, 1805

proceeded on. passed the 2d & 3d villages of Mandans took
breakfast at 2d vil the [wind] high from the W. all Saw Some
Snow on the N. S. of the hills, and thick Ice on and under the
banks of the River, the current Swift, we passed two villages
of the Grossvantars or Bigbelleys at the lowermost one comes
in a handsom River called Knife River.4 these 2 vill. are in a
1 These were Rivet, the man who danced on his head, and his companion
Degie, who had attached themselves to the expedition, Oct. 18, 1804, at the
mouth of Cannon Ball River.
2 On the respective number and composition of the two parties now setting
forth in opposite directions see the journal entries of Lewis and Clark for April
7, and Coues, I, 253-60, notes 7, 8, and 9. The party which continued the
exploration was composed of the two captains, three sergeants (Gass, Pryor,
and Ordway), twenty-three privates, two interpreters (Drewyer and Char-
bonneau), Sacajawea and her infant son, and York, Clark’s negro servant.
Tempbrarily the party included also a Mandan Indian, who had agreed to
accompany the expedition as far as the Snake nation in order to promote peace
between that tribe and his own.
3 The returning party, in charge of Corporal Warfington, consisted, in addi-
tion to the leader, of six private soldiers, Gravelines, who had been engaged
as pilot, and two other Frenchmen. Temporarily accompanying it, also,
were the two engages, Rivet and Degie, and a lame Arikara who had been
granted the privilege of transportation in the boat to his tribal home. The
party was to be joined at the Arikara village by Tabeau, the trader, and four
hands, making a party of fifteen to descend the river. None of them had
originally intended to become permanent members of the exploring expedition
with the exception of Newman and Reed, the two men who had been discharged
for misconduct.
4 Knife River, a stream of some importance, flows in a general easterly
direction to its junction with the Missouri. Near this point is the town of
Stanton, Mercer County.
192 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS [April 9
bottom but little timber, back of which is high open plains which
is the Same on the N. S. we halted on a Sand beach on N. S.
for the crafts to come up which was behind as we was informed
that one of the Small perogues was in danger, cap1 Clark went
back to see what was the matter, they Shortly returned the
perogues had evidently filled and every thing in the perogue was
wet damiged a keg of powder a bag of buiscuit and a nomber of
other articles, we dined and proceeded on passed an Isld cov-
ered with timber on the N. S. high bluffs on the S. S. passed a
timbered bottom on the N. S. in which is a Village of the Gross-
vantars in the lower part of the bottom of cottonwood timber,
we proceded 14 mIs to day and camped at the bottom N. S.1 an
Indian came from the Mandan nation and joined us to go and
Show us the River as he tells us that he has been near the head.