Bitterroot crossing attempt, turned back by snow — John Ordway: June 15, 1806
The party rose to heavy rain, gathered their horses, ate breakfast, and set out around 8 a.m. on slippery, difficult mountain roads where several horses fell. Thunderstorms struck around noon as they crossed streams lined with white cedar, balsam fir, and pine. With 66 sound horses for the mountain crossing, they reached a small prairie and recovered two deer killed by hunters R. Fields and Willard. They later met the hunters on Collins Creek, dined on a third deer, pushed through fallen timber, and camped at dusk in a small glade with good forage.
this flat for our horses. Soon Set in to raining hard, we got up
all our horses took breakfast & packed up and Set out about 8
oClock and proceeded on. found the road verry slipperry & bad
took the mountains and the road So bad several of our horses fell
about noon we had Thunder and hard Showers of rain, we
crossed several runs on which is considerable of white ceedder tim-
ber balsom fer & diffrent kinds of pine, we have now 66 good
horses to take us and our baggage across the mountains, came to
the small prarie where R. Fields and willard had been hunting
found 2 deer hanging up which they had killd we took the meat
and proceed on down the bad hill on Collinses Creek where we
found R. Fields and willard they had killed another Deer and
were Camped on the bank of the Creek where we dined and pro-
ceeded on. found the road verry bad falling timber &C. at dark
we Camped at a Small glade1 where was pleanty of feed for our
horses.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
This flat for our horses. Soon it set in to raining hard. We got up all our horses, took breakfast, packed up, and set out about 8 o'clock and proceeded on. We found the road very slippery and bad. We took to the mountains, and the road was so bad that several of our horses fell. About noon we had thunder and hard showers of rain. We crossed several runs along which there is a considerable amount of white cedar timber, balsam fir, and different kinds of pine. We now have 66 good horses to carry us and our baggage across the mountains.
We came to the small prairie where R. Fields and Willard had been hunting and found 2 deer hanging up which they had killed. We took the meat and proceeded on down the bad hill on Collinses Creek, where we found R. Fields and Willard. They had killed another deer and were camped on the bank of the creek, where we dined and then proceeded on. We found the road very bad, with falling timber, etc. At dark we camped at a small glade where there was plenty of feed for our horses.
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