Missouri River Breaks area — John Ordway: May 10, 1805
The expedition traveled 25 miles along the Missouri River through timbered bottoms and smooth plains. Captain Clark, walking ahead, killed two deer before the morning breakfast halt and later shot two buffalo. Game was so abundant and tame that some men clubbed animals out of their way. Around one o'clock they passed a remarkably dry river mouth (Big Dry River), 220 yards wide but with water entirely sunk into quicksand. They saw large herds of buffalo and elk, plentiful beaver sign, and camped at the mouth of Warner's Creek.
River partly covd with Small timber and willows, about 9 oC. we
halted to take breakfast in a beautiful Smoth bottom partly covred
with timber & on the s. s. where Cap* Clark who walked on this
morning had killed 2 deer, the Game is gitting so pleanty and
tame in this country that Some of the party clubbed them out of
their way. about one oClock we passed the Mouth of a river on
s. s. named [blank in Ms.]3 it is, at high water mark 220 yards
wide, but at this time the water is So low that the water all
Sinques in the quick sand we halted to dine above the mouth of
this R. Cap* Clark killed 2 buffaloe we proceeded on passed
large bottoms covred with timber and Smoth plains on N. S.
hilley on s. s. Saw large gangs of buffaloe and elk. Saw great Sign
of beaver where they had cut the Small timber on the bank of the
River for a large peace of Ground all Smoth and carried the most of
it way to their lodges, we Came 25 miles to day and Camp at the
mouth of a creek named Warners R. on the N. Side4 the country
for Several days back is handsom and pleasant the Soil rich
the Game pleanty. but the timber back from the river Scarse &. C.
1 Modern Milk River, the largest northern tributary of the upper Missouri.
From its source in the Rocky Mountains it flows in a general easterly direction
across the northern part of Montana. Lewis describes its water as “about the
colour of a cup of tea with the admixture of a tablespoonfull of milk.” Ord-
way’s Scolding River is explained by the fact that the explorers took this to
be a stream of which the Minitaree had told them, and which they called “the
river which scolds at all others.”
2 In Dawson County, 2 miles above the mouth of Milk River.
3 “the most extraordinary river that I ever beheld.” Lewis. His amaze-
ment was due to the fact that although its bed was half a mile wide it contained
not “a single drop of running water.” It was accordingly named Big Dry
River, and this designation it still retains.
4 Named for William Werner (or Warner) one of the members of the expedi-
tion. The camp was in Valley County, nine miles above the mouth of Big
Dry River.
210 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS [May 10
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The river was partly covered with small timber and willows. About 9 o'clock we halted to take breakfast in a beautiful smooth bottom partly covered with timber on the south side, where Capt Clark (Capt. Clark), who walked on this morning, had killed 2 deer. The game is getting so plentiful and tame in this country that some of the party clubbed them out of their way.
About one o'clock we passed the mouth of a river on the south side named [blank in manuscript]. It is, at high water mark, 220 yards wide, but at this time the water is so low that all the water sinks into the quicksand. We halted to dine above the mouth of this river. Capt Clark killed 2 buffalo. We proceeded on, passing large bottoms covered with timber and smooth plains on the north side, hilly on the south side. We saw large herds of buffalo and elk. We saw great signs of beaver where they had cut the small timber on the bank of the river for a large piece of ground all smooth, and carried most of it away to their lodges.
We came 25 miles today and camped at the mouth of a creek named Warners River on the north side. The country for several days back is handsome and pleasant, the soil rich, the game plentiful, but the timber back from the river scarce, etc.
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