John Ordway: June 13, 1805
The party set out early under heavy dew and traveled along the Missouri River, passing the mouth of a small, muddy, rapid river about 50 yards wide on the larboard side, which they named Snowey River (modern Shonkin Creek) because it heads in snow-covered mountains. They observed high bluffs on both sides, small cottonwood bottoms, ripe gooseberries, abundant chokecherries, and an unfamiliar yellow currant. After covering 14 miles, they camped on the south side. Hunters killed a buffalo and two deer.
Set out at an eairly hour a heavy diew proceeded on passed
the mouth of a Small River on the Lard Side about 50 yds wide at
the mouth of a muddy coulour and verry rapid, bottoms of
cotton timber for some distance up we named it Snowey River3
as it heads in the mountain covred with Snow to our left, we
passed verry high bluffs on each Side of the River. Some small
bottoms of cotton timber. Saw abundance of wild or choke cherry,
the Goose berrys are now ripe & abound in the River bottoms.
1 On the M. R. C. map, 2,263 miles.
2 Three miles above the point where the Teton River approaches closely
the Missouri, and aboul five miles below Fort Benton.
a Modern Shonkin Creek, which empties into the Missouri four miles below
Fort Benton.
1805] SERGEANT ORDWAY’S JOURNAL 231
also a yallow current the kind I never Saw before, they are nearly
as large as the goose berrys, but Sower & yallow when ripe, we
Came 14 miles to day and Camped on the South Side,1 Some of
the hunters killed a buffalow and 2 Deer to day.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Set out at an early hour with a heavy dew. Proceeded on and passed the mouth of a small river on the Larboard Side, about 50 yards wide at the mouth, of a muddy color and very rapid, with bottoms of cottonwood timber for some distance up. We named it Snowey River (Snowy River), as it heads in the mountains covered with snow to our left. We passed very high bluffs on each side of the river, with some small bottoms of cottonwood timber. Saw an abundance of wild or choke cherry. The gooseberries are now ripe and abound in the river bottoms.
Also a yellow currant, a kind I never saw before. They are nearly as large as the gooseberries, but sour and yellow when ripe. We came 14 miles today and camped on the south side. Some of the hunters killed a buffalo and 2 deer today.
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