Missouri River approaching Cannonball River — John Ordway: October 18, 1804

froze Some last night, we Set off eairly. one man out hunting on
each Side of the River, we proceeded on 2 miles met a cannoe
coming down the River which belonged to the frenchman we had
on board Mr Gravelleen. their was 2 frenchman in the cannoe who
had been a hunting up to the Manden nation and was Robed by a
hunting party of the Mandens. they took their Guns & amunition
&.C. axe & 30 beaver Skins & all they had So they were obledged
to turn back but when they met us they turned about in hopes we
Should See them & make them Give up all they had taken from
them, we proceeded on2 men went out hunting on N.S. the
man who Stayed out last night joined us. had killed 2 fat Goats,
we proceeded on passed the mouth of Cannon Ball River3 on
S.S. about 100 yds wide passed Sand Stone Bluff on the Same
Side ab° the River where we found round Stone in the form of
cannon balls. Some of them verry large we took one of them
on Board to answer for an anker, one of our hunters joined us
here had killed an Elk & a pillican. we Saw large flocks of Goats
1 In Emmons County, three miles below the mouth of Cannon Ball River.
* At this point in the manuscript the following was written and afterward
crossed out: “passed a Sand Stone Bluff on the S. S. one of our [men] came on
board had killed an Elk & a pillican.”
3 The river takes its name from the circumstance noted by Ordway in the
next sentence. It is a considerable stream with two main forks, and flows in
a general easterly direction to its junction with the Missouri.
156 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS [Oct. 19
& Buffaloe on N.S. proceeded on passed a creek1 on N.S.
Timbred Bottoms the most of the day on Each Side of the River.
Roed & poled about 16 Miles & Camped on a large Sand beach
on the S. S.2 our hunters all joined us had killed Six Deer 4
Goats & 3 Elk we Got all the Meat except 2 of the Elk which
was too late to find them, the most of the Meat was verry fat.
the Game is verry pleanty here the man that killed the 3 Elk
Said he counted 150 in the Same flock, (handsome plains back
f.R.)