Building Fort Mandan — John Ordway: October 27, 1804

eairly. proceeded on. at 7 oC. we arived at the 1st village of the
Mandens on S. S. their is about 40 houses or lodges in this village
1 Coues locates today’s camp in the vicinity of Washburn, McLean County.
2 Hugh McCracken, an ex-artilleryman, who had been for some years
in the employ of the North West Company. This company was organized
by a group of Montreal merchants in 1783-84 to compete with the Hudson’s
Bay Company for the fur trade, hitherto monopolized by the latter. In 1821,
after a generation of fierce rivalry, the older organization absorbed the younger.
3 In Mercer County, about five miles below the mouth of Knife River. The
end of the year’s journey was now at hand. The approach of winter warned
the lenders of the necessity of preparing winter quarters, and after some time
spent in seeking a suitable situation, a point was chosen three miles below to-
day’s camp, on the opposite side of the river in McLean County, and here Fort
Mandan was built.
1804] SERGEANT ORDWAY’S JOURNAL 159
which are built much in the manner of the Rekarees. we found
two or 3 frenchmen one of them1 kept a Squaw & had a child
by hir which was tollerable white, we delayed about 2 hours with
them, they were assembled on the bank, especially the children,
who are verry numerous, the men mostly a hunting, we proceeded
on passed a Bluff on the S. S. with a black Stripe through the
center of it resembling Stone coal, a bottom opposite on N. S. on
which is the 2 village of the Mandens. we Camped on N. S.
little above the 2 village.2 the 3rd village nearly opposite on’S.
S. this is the most conveneint place to hold a counsel with the
whole nation, we hoisted a flag pole &. C. from the mouth of
the Missouri to this place is 1610 miles.