Departure from Fort Mandan, Missouri River — John Ordway: April 9, 1805
The expedition departed at daylight with a south wind and sailed upriver, retrieving a large beaver from a trap set the night before. After breakfast, they passed a small creek (Miry Creek) and rugged bluffs. Around 1 p.m., they encountered a Gros Ventre hunting party on the south bank, where the officers stopped briefly to smoke with them. The wind shifted west, and they noted large round gravel bars for the first time on this river, plus geese, brants, and ducks. Mosquitoes began biting. They camped on the north side after covering 22 miles.
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
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
From the south we set off at daylight. We sailed on, and shortly took in a large beaver which one of our men had caught in a trap he set last evening. We passed a bottom on the south side covered with handsome groves of sizable cottonwood timber, came about 5 miles and halted, took breakfast, then proceeded on. We passed a small creek on the north side and rugged bluffs on each side of the river, etc.
We proceeded on, and about 1 o'clock we passed a bottom covered with cottonwood timber on the south side, where we saw a hunting party of the Grossvauntars (Gros Ventres). They assembled on the bank of the river. Our officers halted and smoked a short time with them, then went a short distance further and halted to take dinner at a bottom covered with small cottonwood on the north side. The wind shifted to the west and blew steady. We proceeded on and passed handsome bottoms on each side of the river. We saw gravelly bars, which were the first we saw on this river; they were round and large. We saw some on shore also. We saw a number of wild geese on the river, brants flying over, and some ducks. The mosquitoes begin to suck our blood this afternoon. We camped at the upper end of a bottom on the north side, after working our crafts 22 miles today.
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