Missouri River Breaks area — John Ordway: May 11, 1805
The party set off early after catching two beavers overnight, traveling 17 miles past black bluffs and cedar-dotted hills with huge buffalo herds in the bottoms. Late in the day, William Bratton, walking ashore with a lame hand, was chased back to the boats by a wounded grizzly bear; hunters went out and killed it, finding it similar to one killed days earlier but fatter. They camped early to dress the bear. Captain Clark, hunting on the north shore, killed two buffalo, two deer, and a beaver, and noted the first pines seen along the river.
we Set off eairly. Some of the party caught 2 beaver last night
we proceeded on passed black bluffs & hills on the s. s. low
ceeder on the hills in places & Spots on each Side of the River.
Saw verry large ga(ngs of buffaloe in the bottoms on each Side
of the River, one of the party which had a lame hand was walk-
ing on Shore towards evening he came running and hollowing
to the perogues chased by a brown bair which he had wounded,
bad. Some of the hunters went out with him and killed it.2 it
was nearly of the Same discription as the one killed Some days
1 In Dawson County, four miles above the mouth of Werner’s Creek and
thirteen miles above Big Dry Creek.
2 The hero of this encounter was William Bratton. Lewis describes the
incident in greater detail than does Ordway. Bratton was chased a mile and
a half and reached the boat so much out of breath that for several minutes he
was unable to tell what had happened. Lewis went with seven men in search
of the “monster,” which was found, shot through the lungs by Bratton yet
still full of life. “These bear being so hard to die,” notes Lewis, “reather
intimedates us all. I must confess that I do not like the gentlemen and had
reather fight two Indians than one bear.” It is interesting to compare Lewis’
estimate of the danger of meeting the grizzly with that of Theodore Roosevelt,
a twentieth-century hunter of some repute. “On the whole,” he says, “the
danger of hunting these great bears has been much exaggerated. At the begin-
ning of the present (nineteenth) century, when white hunters first encountered
the grizzly, he was doubtless an exceedingly savage beast, prone to attack
without provocation, and a redoubtable foe to persons armed with the clumsy,
small-bore, muzzle-loading rifles of the day. But at present bitter experience
lias taught him caution. He has he. mi hunted for sport, and hunted for his
pelt, and hunted for the bounty, and hunted as a dangerous enemy to stock,
until, save in the very wildest (list nets, he has learned to be more wary than
a deer, and to avoid man’s presence almost as carefully as the most timid kind
of game. Except in rare eases he will not attack of his own accord, and, as
a rule, even when wounded his object is escape rather than battle.” The
Wilderness Hunter (New York, L893), 306-7.
1805] SERGEANT ORDWAY’S JOURNAL 211
past, but much fatter, we Camped before night to dress the bair,
after comming 17 miles today. Cap1 Clark who walked on Shore
killed 2 buffaloe 2 deer and one beaver, he went on some broken
hills on the N. S. which was partly covred with pitch pine and
another Sort of pine which resembles the pitch pine only the bark
& leaf Smaller, these hill[s] bair the first pine we have Seen on
this River, the country back from the River is broken, but the
Soil verry rich and good, the River bottoms are Smoth and level
thinly covred with cotton wood timber, and filled with all most all
kinds of Game. Some Smoth plains under the black broken hills
which is covered with wild hysop. passed Several Small runs in
the course of the day.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
We set off early. Some of the party caught 2 beaver last night. We proceeded on, passing black bluffs and hills on the south side, with low cedar on the hills in places and spots on each side of the river. We saw very large gangs of buffalo in the bottoms on each side of the river. One of the party, who had a lame hand, was walking on shore. Toward evening he came running and hollering to the pirogues, chased by a brown bear which he had wounded badly. Some of the hunters went out with him and killed it. It was nearly the same description as the one killed some days past, but much fatter. We camped before night to dress the bear, after coming 17 miles today.
Capt. Clark, who walked on shore, killed 2 buffalo, 2 deer, and one beaver. He went on some broken hills on the north side which were partly covered with pitch pine and another sort of pine that resembles the pitch pine, only the bark and leaf are smaller. These hills bear the first pine we have seen on this river. The country back from the river is broken, but the soil is very rich and good. The river bottoms are smooth and level, thinly covered with cottonwood timber, and filled with almost all kinds of game. There are some smooth plains under the black broken hills which are covered with wild hyssop. We passed several small runs in the course of the day.
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