Jefferson River ascending toward divide — John Ordway: August 5, 1805

as usal 2 hunters sent on a head to kill some meat. passd
rapids as usal. one of the hunters killed a deer before brakfast.
the wind cold from the South, the Shores and hills rocky the
bottom of the River covred with Slippery Small Stone and gravvel.
we proceeded on passed over rapids worse than ever it is with
difficulty & hard fatigue we git up them Some of which are all-
most perpinticular 3 or 4 feet fall in a Short distance, our other
hunter joined us at noon had killed nothing but had seen where
1 Ten and three-fourths miles, by Clark’s measurements, above the mouth
Of Pipestone Creek.
1805] SERGEANT ORDWAY’S JOURNAL 259
the River forks again, about 7 oG. P. M. clouded up wind
high, we proceeded on about a mile further up came to a
another forks1 one nearly as [large as] the other if any difference
the right hand fork the largest, we was not certian whether Cap*
Lewis was up the left fork or right So Cap’ Clark left a note for
him on the point which is level prarie, & proceeded on up the
right hand fork,2 which is amazeing rapid Some of which falls
nearly 3 feet in the length of a canoe, but with hard labour we
draged them over, we passed thro a channel which was filled
with willows and young cotton wood &, brush, Some of which was
fell across by the beaver, the currents so rapid we were oblidged
to hall by the bushes, and Some places be out in the water where
we could Scarsely kick our feet for the rapidity of the current.
Saw Several high beaver dams, passed several Islands, we
could scarsely croud the canoes through the bushes in several
places, night came on and we Camped on the Stard Side at a
bottom which is level and low, has been over flowed lately, it
appars this little Stream is verry high, but has been high by the
Snow melting off the Mountains, it is now falling a little, was
it low we could not proceeded by water any further, our hunter
killed a deer. Came 8 miles to forks this day. the party much
fatigued and wish to go by land.