Missouri River near Cheyenne River — John Ordway: October 5, 1804

we Set off eairly. passed some wood in a bottom s. s. See Sev-
eral Indians on the Shore on N. S. at 11. oClock we Saw a flock
of Goats Swimming the River towards the South Shore, one of our
hunters ran up the Shore & killed 4 of them we took them on
board the Boat & pearogues. passed a Creek on N. S. called
White Goat Creek.4 passd black Bluffs on S. S. we halted
1 In Armstrong County, at the 1,251 mile point of the river.
2 “Teel creek.” Gass. Probably modern Stone Creek, in southern Dewey
County. On the M. R. C. map it is shown as “Stone or Cherry Creek.”
3 On this island was an abandoned Ankara village called Lahoocat. It
is Dolphees Island on the M. R. C. map.
4 There is some confusion, as between the various journals, concerning the
streams passed during the day, but it seems quite possible to resolve the former
and identify the latter. Both Gass and Whitehouse speak of passing a stream
on the north side called Hidden Creek, and, later, one on the south called White
Goat Creek. Clark notes a stream (unnamed) on the south side at the eighth
mile of the day’s journey, and another, called White Brant Creek on the south
side at the fourteenth mile. The former corresponds in location (though on
the wrong side of the Missouri) with Little Cheyenne River, which is otherwise
unmentioned by Clark. This stream, therefore, is Hidden Creek of Gass and
Whitehouse and White Goat Creek of Ordway. Clark’s White Brant Creek
six miles farther on, unnoted by Ordway, is the White Goat Creek of Cass and
Whitehouse. It is shown on the M. R. C. map with the name Clark gave it:
on a number of other modern maps before me, including the General Land
Office map of 1901, it appears as Swiftbird Creek.
It seems pertinent in this connection to call attention, by way of illustration,
1804] SERGEANT ORDWAY’S JOURNAL 147
[and] took dinner at a Timbered bottom S. S. below an Island,
dressed & took care of our Goat meat as we had no other fresh
meat on hand, found it to be verry Sweet Good meat, pro-
ceeded on passing the Island we killed a Small prarie woolf
Swimming the River, passed high Black Bluff on N. S. & a large
Bottom covered with Timber Cap’ Clark & 2 of the hunters
went out hunting, we passed the Bottom & Camped on N. S.1
Cap* Clark & the rest of the hunters returned had killed &
brought in a Deer, had killed or wounded 2 more but did not
get them.