Missouri River near Platte River mouth — John Ordway: July 18, 1804
Under a gentle southeasterly breeze and fair skies, the party continued upriver, passing several islands and prairies with sparse timber except on low, wet points covered with cottonwood, mulberry, and elm. They measured the current's speed and observed a high bank about 200 feet tall where a slide revealed what appeared to be iron ore. Camp was made on the south side of the Missouri. Toward evening they spotted a stray Indian dog on the bank, and Drouillard rejoined the group bringing two deer.
gentle Breeze from the S.E. by S. a fair morning, we proceded
on along this prarie passed Several Islands, the current of the
River Runs 50′ fathom in 41 seconds, their is but little timber
on either Side of the River, except the Islands and points which
are low wet & covered with lofty towering Cotton wood Mulbery
Elm &.C. &.C. we passed hill praries and a place in a high bank
1 Modern Sun Island, located about midway between Peru and Brownsville,
Nebr.
2 Clark notes passing an island called by the French “chauve” (bald); hence
he named the adjoining prairie “Ball pated Prarie.” On Nicollet’s map Bald
Island is shown in the northwestern corner of Atchison County in the state
of Missouri. Both the Missouri and the Nishnabolna have changed their
courses since Lewis and Clark’s time. Cones stales (I, 17) that the Nishna-
bolna nowhere approaches the Missouri so closely as Ordway here indicates;
yet a map of Atchison County before me, published in 1882, shows the Nish-
nabolna emptying into an old cut-off of the Missouri surrounding the Bald
Island of Nicollet’s map and Clark’s Bald Pated Prairie, some twenty-live
miles above the present moutb of the stream.
3 In northwestern Atchison County, Mo., not far from the Iowa line.
1804] SERGEANT ORDWAY’S JOURNAL 99
where Some appearence of Iron oar where the Bank Sliped in to
the River about 200 feet high, we camped on the South Side of
the Missouris.1 towards night we Saw an Indian dog on the
Bank of the River, which appeared to have been lost. Drewyer
joined us with 2 Deer this evening.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Gentle breeze from the S.E. by S., a fair morning. We proceeded on along this prairie and passed several islands. The current of the river runs 50 fathoms in 41 seconds. There is but little timber on either side of the river, except on the islands and points, which are low, wet, and covered with lofty towering cottonwood, mulberry, elm, etc., etc. We passed hill prairies and a place in a high bank where there was some appearance of iron ore, where the bank slipped into the river, about 200 feet high. We camped on the south side of the Missouri.
Toward night we saw an Indian dog on the bank of the river, which appeared to have been lost. Drewyer (Drouillard) joined us with 2 deer this evening.
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