Lolo Trail, ascending into Bitterroot Mountains — John Ordway: September 15, 1805
The party traveled down a creek through swampy ground covered with cedar and spruce, then climbed a steep, rocky mountain where some horses fell and rolled among the rocks without being killed. They followed a ridge over high knobs strewn with blown-down timber, pausing at a small spring for portable soup. The climb to the summit was about ten miles. Pushing on past dark in search of water and finding none, they camped on the mountaintop, melting patches of year-round snow. With only portable soup for supper, they slept hungry in cold, cloudy weather.
ceeded on a Short distance down the creek, crossed Several Small
creeks and Swampy places covred with tall handsome white ceeder
and Spruce pine &C. we crossed a creek a pond alittle below then
assended a high Mountain Some places so Steep and rockey that
Some of our horses fell backwards and roled 20 or 30 feet among the
rocks, but did not kill them, we got on the ridge of the mountain
and followed it. came over several verry high knobs where the
timber had been mostly blown down, we found a small spring
before we came to the highest part of the mountain where we
halted and drank a little portable Soup and proceeded on to the top
of the rnoun’ found it to be abo* 10 miles from the foot to the top
of sd moun* and most of the way very Steep, we travvelled untill
after dark in hopes to find water, but could not find any. we
found Some Spots of Snow so we Camped on the top of the Moun-
tain4 and melted Some Snow. this Snow appears to lay all the
1 The junction of Glade Creek and Kooskooskee River. The Kooskooskee
is shown on some modern maps as the Middle Fork of Clearwater River.
2 The junction of White Sand Creek and Kooskooskee River.
•The “portable soup” is no mere figure of speech; the party killed a colt
for supper, and named the last creek passed before camping (White Sand Creek)
Killed-colt Creek. Camp was on the Kooskooskee, about four miles below
the mouth of While Sand Creek.
4 The Lolo Trail follows the dividing ridge between the North and Middle
(or Kooskooskee) forks of Clearwater River. The Indian guide had committed
the error, on September 14, of leading the parly away from the mam trail down
into the canon of the Kooskooskee at the mouth of White Sand Creek. This
error was now painfully corrected by climbing again to the top of the dividing
ridge between the two forks of C.learw aler River. Reference t<> the map pre-
18051 SERGEANT ORDWAY’S JOURNAL 287
year on this Moun* we drank a little portable Soup and lay
down without any thing else to Satisfy our hunger, cloudy and
cold this mountain and all these Mountains are covred thick
with different kinds of pine timber. Some high rocks appear ab°
the timber.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Proceeded on a short distance down the creek, crossed several small creeks and swampy places covered with tall handsome white cedar and spruce pine, etc. We crossed a creek and a pond a little below, then ascended a high mountain. Some places were so steep and rocky that some of our horses fell backwards and rolled 20 or 30 feet among the rocks, but it did not kill them. We got on the ridge of the mountain and followed it. Came over several very high knobs where the timber had been mostly blown down. We found a small spring before we came to the highest part of the mountain, where we halted and drank a little portable soup, and proceeded on to the top of the mountain. Found it to be about 10 miles from the foot to the top of said mountain, and most of the way very steep. We traveled until after dark in hopes of finding water, but could not find any. We found some spots of snow, so we camped on top of the mountain and melted some snow. This snow appears to lie all the year on this mountain.
We drank a little portable soup and lay down without anything else to satisfy our hunger. Cloudy and cold. This mountain and all these mountains are covered thick with different kinds of pine timber. Some high rocks appear above the timber.
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