Jefferson/Beaverhead River near present-day Dillon — John Ordway: August 11, 1805

out hunting, we Set out after breakfast and proceeded on about
3 miles come to a large prarie Island which [is] Three Thousand
miles from wood River or from the Mouth of the Missourie. So
we call it 3000 mile Island, we went up the L. Side of it and were
oblidged to hall the canoes over several shole places. Saw a nom-
Head. This is a famous landmark on the boundary between Madison and
Beaverhead counties, about midway between the forks below and the town of
Dillon above. Beaverhead County, which the party was to enter the follow-
ing day, takes its name from the rock.
1 The record for the day kept by Lewis shows that the party traveled thir-
teen miles, yet the actual advance made was only four land miles.
2 Modern Willow Creek, near the mouth of which the camp of July 30 was
located.
3 Coues locates the camp two miles by land above the Beaver Head.
264 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS [Aug. 12
ber of geese and ducks in the little pond and on the prarie. one
of the hunters joined us at noon had killed three Deer and two
other a Short distance a head, the day warm the large flys
troublesome, we proceeded on passed Several muddy Sunken
ponds, and low marshy bottom prarie which is wet and soft, the
beaver have made many channels to their ponds & lodges from
the River &.C. they are verry numerous in this valley, more So
than ever we Saw them before, towards evening we came to a
fiew fiew Scattering trees along the Shores but no other but cotton
& willow [and] a fiew Small birch, the valley continues 8 or 10
miles wide & all Smooth low prarie without timber, we saw high
Mountains a head some distance large Spots of Snow on them,
we Came 14 miles this day and Camped on a wet bottom on the
Stard Side.1