Missouri River Breaks area — John Ordway: May 18, 1805

party caught a beaver last night, another killed a rattle Snake
this morning at 7 oClock Set off and proceeded on passed
verry high rough hills, which look mountainous and make in to
the River on each Side, the bottoms verry narrow, but little
1 Twenty and one-half miles. The camp was in Dawson County, 48f miles,
according to the leaders’ measurements, below the mouth of Musselshell River.
214 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS [May 19
timber only Spots of pitch pine on Sd hills, the bottoms are gen-
erally covered with rose bush68 & Rabbit berry bushes [two
lines illegible] to dine at a large bottom covered with timber on
N. S. which was filled with buffaloe Elk deer &. C. Cap1 Clark
killed a fat deer, one of the party killed 2 Elk. another killed
a beaver about one oC. P. M. cleared up pleasant, about 2 we
proceeded on passed pitch pine hills on each Side of the River
about 3 oC. we passed a large Creek1 on N. S. & a large timbered
bottom on the S. S. the Missourie is gitting clear and gravelly
bottom, & Shore we passed no falling in banks as we did below
these pitch pine hilly country, a pleasant warm afternoon. Cap*
Clark killed three deer, we came 19 miles to day and Camped in
a Smooth bottom thinly covered with c. w. timber on the South
Side.