Lolo Trail, ascending into Bitterroot Mountains — Patrick Gass: September 12, 1805

continued our journey down the river. The soil of the valley
is poor and gravelly; and the high snow-topped mountains
are still in view on our left; Our course generally north a few
degrees west. We halted at noon: on our way the hunters
had killed 3 wild geese; so we have plenty of provisions at
present. At 2 o’clock we again went forward, and crossed
over the Flathead river, about 100 yards wide, and which we
called Clarke’s river; passed through a close timbered bot-
tom of about two miles, and again came into beautiful plains.
140 GASS’S JOURNAL OF THE
The timber on this bottom is pitch pine. We travelled 19
miles and encamped ona large creek, which comes in from the
south. Our hunters this day killed 3 deer.