Near Platte River, Council Bluffs area — John Ordway: July 22, 1804
The expedition traveled along timbered land and prairies on the south side, passing hills that began about ten miles above the Grand River Platte. They went up Mosquito Creek (called Marringua by the French) on the north side, which entered behind a willow island. After covering twelve miles from the Platte, the party stopped at 11 o'clock and encamped on the north side of the Missouri at a point suitable for observations. They cleared away willows, pitched tents, and built bowers.
Timbered land and a good place to encamp we proceeded on
along a high bank S. S. hand some praries along this bank to
the hills which commenced about 10 miles above G. R. Piatt, we
passed on up a Creek on the N. called Marringua (French)
Musquetoe (English) Creek3 which comes in behind a willow
Island, we proceeded on 12 miles from G. R. Plate and encamped
1 The Platte is one of the great tributaries of the Missouri, draining most of
Nebraska and portions of Colorado and Wyoming. Brackenridge, who ascend-
ed the Missouri in 1811 in the company of a party of traders, relates that voy-
agers on the Missouri regarded the Platte as a point of as much importance
as mariners do the equinoctial line. All who had not passed it before must
treat or submit to be shaved, and the occasion was one of much merriment.
The portion of the river beginning at this point was regarded as the upper
Missouri. Early Western Travels, VI, 77. For a similar custom among the
watermen of the Mississippi upon arriving at the Grand Tower see Lewis’
journal, ante, 65.
2 Modern Papillion or Big Papillion Creek; its source is near South Omaha,
and its month a mile above the mouth of the Platte.
3 Still known as Mosquito Creek. It (lows across Harrison and Pottawat-
tamie counties, Iowa, joining the Missouri near the southern boundary of
the latter. Formerly its mouth was several miles farther south, in Mills County.
The M. R. (‘.. map represents the present mouth of the Mosquito as fifteen
miles above the mouth of the Platte, and the old mouth as nine miles above
the latter. This agrees with Clark’s statement, which placed the Mosquito
nine miles above the Platte.
1804] SERGEANT ORDWAY’S JOURNAL 101
at 11 oClock on the N. Side of the Missourie at a point convenient
for observations & we cleared away, the willows & pitched our
Tents and built boweries &. C.1
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Timbered land and a good place to camp. We proceeded on along a high bank on the south-southwest hand. There are some prairies along this bank up to the hills, which commence about 10 miles above the Great River Platte. We passed on up a creek on the north called Marringua (French), Mosquito (English) Creek, which comes in behind a willow island. We proceeded 12 miles from the Great River Platte and camped at 11 o'clock on the north side of the Missouri at a point convenient for observations. We cleared away the willows, pitched our tents, and built bowers, etc.
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