Missouri River near Big Bend — John Ordway: September 21, 1804
The expedition set out early and continued upriver, passing scenic high prairies on the north side and a cedar bluff and bottom on the south. They rounded the Big Bend, also called the Sioux pass over of the three Rivers, a dramatic loop measuring 30 miles around but only about a mile across at its narrowest neck. At the mouth of Tylor's River, they recovered two deer the hunters had killed and hung up for them. Captain Lewis shot several white-headed plovers from the sandbars for his dinner.
eairly. proceeded on. passed a beautiful high prarie or plains
on N. S. passed on round the point of the Big Bend a handsome
place & high prarie graddually ascending from the river on N. S.
house designates the place, with unconscious appropriateness, “the Souix pass
over of the three Rivers.”
1 This Clark named Night Creek, from the circumstance noted by Ordway
in the following sentence. Coues supposes it to be modern Fish Creek; more
probably, however, Camel Creek of the M. R. C. map.
2 This seems to correspond to modern Fish Creek, shown on the M. R. C.
map at the 1,093 mile point. The expedition here enters upon a remarkable
loop in the river, known as the Grand Detour. Clark reports the distance
across the neck of the bend in its narrowest part as 1} miles, while the distance
around was 30 miles (journal entries, September 20 and 21). These figures
agree approximately with the distances shown on the M. R. C. map.
1804] SERGEANT ORDWAY’S JOURNAL 135
& a ceeder Bluff and ceeder Bottom on S. S. passd Tylors River1
on S. S. we found 2 Deer at the mouth of this R. that the hunters
had killed & hung up for us they had gone on. here we Saw the
Sand bars covered with w. head plovvers. Cap* Lewis Shot some
of them for his dinner, we passed Some Timber on s. s. But verry
little on the N. S. little below a mock Island2 at a handsome Bot-
tom prarie we have now passed round the Big Bend which is
30 miles round and only \ m. across in the nearest place.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Started early. Proceeded on. Passed a beautiful high prairie or plains on the north side. Passed on round the point of the Big Bend, a handsome place and high prairie gradually ascending from the river on the north side, and a cedar bluff and cedar bottom on the south side. Passed Tyler's River on the south side. We found two deer at the mouth of this river that the hunters had killed and hung up for us; they had gone on. Here we saw the sand bars covered with white-headed plovers. Capt. Lewis (Capt. Lewis) shot some of them for his dinner.
We passed some timber on the south side, but very little on the north side. A little below a mock island, at a handsome bottom prairie, we have now passed round the Big Bend, which is 30 miles round and only one and a quarter miles across in the nearest place.
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