Lolo Trail, ascending into Bitterroot Mountains — John Ordway: September 13, 1805
The party searched unsuccessfully for Captain Lewis's horse and a missing colt before loading up and moving on. They reached a near-boiling warm spring flowing from a rock ledge, where Native peoples had built a small dam for bathing; the men drank from it and washed. After briefly losing the trail, they dined near a beaver dam, climbed a rough mountain, and met hunters who had killed a deer. They crossed the Continental Divide, finding eastward and westward springs only half a mile apart, and camped on a westward-flowing creek.
one which Cap’ Lewis rode [which] we could not find, and a colt
also, we then loaded our horses and proceeded on a Short distance
and came to a warm Spring2 which run from a ledge of rocks and
nearly boiled and issued out in several places it had been fre-
quented by the Savages, a little dam was fixed and had been used
for a bathing place, we drank a little of the water and washed our
faces in it. a handsome green on the creek near this Spring, we
had Some difficulty here in finding the direct trail, we went round
a bad way came on the trail again and halted to dine at or near
the head of Sd Creek at a beaver dam. then proceeded on as-
cended a high rough mountain over took the hunters who had
killed a deer 2 of them sent back to look for Cap* Lewises horse.
we crossed the dividing ridge3 and a number of Spring runs and
found it to be only about half a mile from the head Spring of the
waters running East to the head Spring of the waters runing west,
each heading in an open marshy Swamp which is level and full of
Springs, we came on a creek running west on which we Camped.4
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
One horse, which Capt Lewis (Capt. Lewis) rode, we could not find, along with a colt. We then loaded our horses and proceeded on a short distance and came to a warm spring which ran from a ledge of rocks and nearly boiled, issuing out in several places. It had been frequented by the Savages; a little dam had been fixed and used as a bathing place. We drank a little of the water and washed our faces in it. There was a handsome green on the creek near this spring.
We had some difficulty here in finding the direct trail. We went around by a bad way, came on the trail again, and halted to dine at or near the head of said creek at a beaver dam. Then we proceeded on, ascended a high rough mountain, and overtook the hunters, who had killed a deer. Two of them were sent back to look for Capt Lewis's horse.
We crossed the dividing ridge and a number of spring runs, and found it to be only about half a mile from the head spring of the waters running east to the head spring of the waters running west, each heading in an open marshy swamp which is level and full of springs. We came on a creek running west, on which we camped.
This modernization is AI-generated for accessibility. The original above is the authoritative version.
Entities mentioned in this entry
Auto-extracted from the entry text. Hover any entity for context.
