Missouri River near White River — John Ordway: September 16, 1804

Cool & clear, proceeded on in order to find a good place to camp
& dry & arange all afairs on board & refresh the party &. C.
passed a large Creek on S. S. called [blank space in Ms.]6 we
1 Immediately below the mouth of Ball Creek, in Lyman County.
2 A male antelope.
3 Modern Ball Creek, which joins the Missouri in Lyman County, about
two miles below White River. Clark notes (September 14) that this was
“the place that Shannon the man who went a head lived on grapes.”
4 Still so called. It flows in a due easterly direction to the Missouri, drain-
ing much of western South Dakota.
5 In Brule County, opposite the mouth of American Crow Creek and the
town of Oacoma at its mouth.
6 The captains named it Corvus Creek, “in consequence of having kiled a
beatiful bird of that genus near it.” Lewis. Coues affirms that this is “the
solitary instance of our authors venturing a technical Latin name in zoology.”
Ordway discreetly concluded, evidently, not to make such a venture at all.
With like discretion his white successors turned Lewis’ Corvus into plain Crow,
to which in some way the adjective “American” has been prefaced.
132 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS [Sept. 17
Camped on S. S. in a handsome bottom of thin Timbered land,1
lately burned over by the natives, it had grown up again with
Green Grass which looked beautiful, we Saw several Deer in
this Grove. Cap* Clark killed one Cap* Lewis one G. Drewyer
one. Collins who had been with the Horse joined us had killed
two Deer, one yesterday 1 this morning. We found a large
plumb orchad back of this Bottom of fine large ripe plumbs.
Cap’ Lewis went on an Island2 little above the camp to hunt.
Battest Decamps killed one Buffalow, Roie3 killed a faun Deer.
Cap1 Lewis killed a buffalow. Saved the Skins to cover the load-
ing in the pearogue. Greater part of the loading taken out of
the Boat and aired to day — the large red pearogue loaded out of
the Batteaux & are to continue on with us to the Mandan Nation
of Indians.4