Departure from Fort Mandan, Missouri River — John Ordway: April 9, 1805

from the South we set off at day light. Sailed on Shortly took
in a large Beaver which one of our men had caught in a Trap
which he Set last evening, we passed a bottom on the South Side
coveered with handsome groves of Sizeable cottonwood timber,
came about 5 mb & halted [and] took breakfast, then proceeded
on passed a Small creek2 on the N. S. & Ruged Bluffs on each
side of the River &.C. proceeded on about 1 oClock we passed
a Bottom covered with c.w. timber on the S. S. where we Saw a
hunting party of the Grossvauntars they assembled on the bank
of the River our officers halted and Smoaked a Short time with
them, went a Short distance further and halted for to take din-
ner at a bottom covered with small cotton wood on N. S. the
wind Shifted in to the West and blew Steady, proceeded on
passed handsome bottoms on each Side of the River. Saw Grav-
elly bars which was the first we Saw on this River, they were
round and large. Saw Some on Shore also we Saw a nomber of
wild geese on the River & brants flying over Some ducks, the
Musquetoes begin to Suck our blood this afternoon, we camped
at the upper end of a bottom on the N. S.3 after working our
crafts 22 miles to day.
1 Near Hancock, McLean County. Coues.
2 Called Miry Creek by Lewis. Coues identifies it with modern Snake Creek
in McLean County.
3 “Not far above the present Fort Stevenson.” Thwaites. “past the
present site of Fort Stevenson.” Coues. Probably it was higher up the river
than one would infer from Coues’s statement. Clark’s reckoning makes the
camp 15J miles above Miry Creek, while the M. R. C. map shows Fort Steven-
1805] SERGEANT ORDWAY’S JOURNAL 193