Missouri River near Platte River mouth — John Ordway: July 15, 1804

untill 7 oClock, Drewyer & Sg* Floyd went on Shore, we proceded
on till Breakfast after [breakfast] I went on Shore with Cap*
Clark on the South Side we Saw fresh Sign on [the] bank of
Elk crossed a creek named faun Creek which came in on the
South Side of Missouris we walked on over a Ridge came to
high large praries & hills, we walked on found Some cherries near
a handsome Spring River named cherry Run2 at which we drank
at the forks then followed it or one branch to the head which came
out of a ridige which joines the praries, and went up on a high R.
Ridge of prarie where we could See all around for a long distance
in the open praries or as far as our eyes could behold, and on the
opposite Side of the Missouris we saw a large & extensive prarie
which looked verry handsome, we walked along the hill
prarie came to a large Creek called ne-ma-haw Creek3 which is
about 30 yds wide we delayed their till the boat came in Site
then crossed & went on to a point where the Boat came & camped,
the flanking party who were with the horses did not join us this
1 Modern Nishnabotna River, which drains a considerable portion of south-
western Iowa and the western part of Atchison County, Mo.
2 The morning walk was taken in southeastern Nemaha County, Nebr.
Clark says of it that “three butifull Streems of running water” were crossed;
and the State Railway Commission map of 1907 shows three creeks (unnamed)
in the region in question. Two of these are evidently Ordway’s Faun Creek
and Cherry Run.
3 Modern Little Nemaha River; to be distinguished from Grand or Great
Nemaha, already passed. It flows through Otoe and Nemaha counties, and
joins the Missouri just below Nemaha City.
98 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS [July 16
night, J° Fields went out on the North Side & killed a Deer, we
found plenty of ripe grapes along the Bottoms.