Missouri River near Cheyenne River — John Ordway: October 5, 1804
The expedition set off early, passing wooded bottoms and spotting several Indians on the north shore. Around 11 o'clock, they encountered a flock of goats (pronghorns) swimming across the river; one hunter killed four, which were brought aboard the boats. They passed White Goat Creek and black bluffs, then halted at a timbered bottom for dinner, dressing the goat meat and finding it sweet and good. Continuing on, they killed a small prairie wolf swimming the river. Captain Clark and hunters went ashore, later rejoining camp on the north side with a deer.
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.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
We set off early, passed some wood in a bottom on the south side. Saw several Indians on the shore on the north side. At 11 o'clock we saw a flock of goats swimming the river towards the south shore. One of our hunters ran up the shore and killed 4 of them. We took them on board the boat and pirogues. Passed a creek on the north side called White Goat Creek. Passed black bluffs on the south side. We halted and took dinner at a timbered bottom on the south side below an island. Dressed and took care of our goat meat, as we had no other fresh meat on hand. Found it to be very sweet, good meat.
Proceeded on, and passing the island we killed a small prairie wolf swimming the river. Passed high black bluffs on the north side and a large bottom covered with timber. Capt Clark (Capt. Clark) and 2 of the hunters went out hunting. We passed the bottom and camped on the north side. Capt Clark and the rest of the hunters returned, had killed and brought in a deer, had killed or wounded 2 more but did not get them.
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