Lost and starving in Bitterroot Mountains — John Ordway: September 19, 1805
The party finished the last of their provisions except for some portable soup and pressed on over the mountain. From the summit they spotted a large plain far ahead, believed to lie along the Columbia River, lifting their spirits. The descent was steep and rocky for about four miles down to an east-running creek, which they followed before traversing a mountainside. One horse tumbled roughly 200 feet down the rocks into the creek with two boxes of ammunition; it was injured but survived. They covered 17 miles and camped in a pine and balsam thicket.
last morcil of our provision except a little portable Soup, and pro-
ceeded on to the top of Sd mountain and as we were descending the
Same we discovred a very large plain a long distance a head,
which we expect is on the Columbia River, which puts us in good
Spirits again.2 the Moun4 bad this day. we descended a
Moun* about 4lniles down where it was verry Steep came down
on a creek3 running ab* East, we followed up the creek Some dis-
tance the way very rockey and bad then went along the side
of a Mountain a little to the write of the creek, high steep timbred
mounte on each side of sd creek, one of our horses fell backwards out
of the trail and rolled down over the steep rocks ab* 200 feet with
2 boxes of Ammunition and plunged in to the creek with Some
difficulty we got the horse up again and load it hurt the horse
but did not kill him. we Came 17 miles this day anal Camped at
a Small run in a thicket of pine and balsom timber &C.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
We ate the last morsel of our provisions except a little portable soup, and proceeded on to the top of said mountain. As we were descending it, we discovered a very large plain a long distance ahead, which we expect is on the Columbia River, which puts us in good spirits again. The mountain road was bad this day. We descended a mountain about 4 miles down where it was very steep, and came down on a creek running about east. We followed up the creek some distance, the way very rocky and bad, then went along the side of a mountain a little to the right of the creek, with high, steep, timbered mountains on each side of said creek.
One of our horses fell backwards out of the trail and rolled down over the steep rocks about 200 feet with 2 boxes of ammunition, and plunged into the creek. With some difficulty we got the horse up again and loaded it. It hurt the horse but did not kill him. We came 17 miles this day and camped at a small run in a thicket of pine and balsam timber, etc.
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