54 LETTER TO THE SECRETARY OF WAR. 



Lieutenant Mullan, as the department has already been advised, left Fort Benton on the 9th 

 instant, and struck the Muscle Shell river on the 13th. After following the trail of the Flat- 

 head camp eastward twenty miles to a pond, and thence twenty miles farther in a southeastern 

 direction, over a rough and difficult country, he found it still five days ahead of him, and deter 

 mined to place his party in camp, and with his Indian guide follow on the trail. The Flathead 

 camp was found sixty or seventy miles distant, in a beautiful valley, and he was received with 

 the greatest hospitality. Four of the principal chiefs agreed to accompany him to the St. 

 Mary s village. His route was by the north fork of the Muscle Shell, thence by an excellent 

 prairie road to Smith s river, which flows into the Missouri in a northeasterly direction, and 

 which he followed for a considerable distance ; when finding it to lead too far to the north, he left 

 it and crossed to the Missouri over an easy divide, and struck it at a point where a most excel 

 lent road led westward some twenty miles to the dividing ridge, whence rises the main fork of 

 the Bitter Root river. This dividing ridge he crossed the second day after leaving the Missouri, 

 the divide being only four hundred feet high and three miles across, and proving the only diffi 

 cult point of passage in his route from Fort Benton. Thence his route was by the Blackfoot 

 fork of the St. Mary s river, and the St. Mary s river to Fort Owen. The valleys open the whole 

 distance, except in the case of a single mountain shutting down upon the river bank, and 

 making a light side cutting necessary to a good wagon road, and the grades scarcely percepti 

 ble either for rails or wagons the whole distance. 



Immediately on reaching the St. Mary s village, Lieutenant Arnold, in charge of the post 

 left there by Lieutenant Saxton, sent for Victor, the Flathead chief, (the small remnant of the 

 tribe not on the hunt east of the mountains, and in camp some forty miles down the river,) for 

 a conference in reference to the condition of the tribe, its disposition towards meeting the 

 Blackfeet in council, and to communicate the determination of the government to protect them 

 in their rights. A portion of the camp moved up to the village and met the chiefs who accom 

 panied Lieutenant Mullan. Victor, however, was absent on business to the Cceur d Alene 

 mission, and I did not meet him for some days. The conference was satisfactory, and impressed 

 me very favorably as regards the truthfulness and worth of these Indians. The spirit of my 

 conference, as well as that of Lieutenant Mullan, will appear from my instructions to him at 

 Fort Benton, which have already been communicated to the department, and his report, a copy 

 of which I herewith enclose. I will particularly call your attention to his account of the fertile 

 valleys of the Muscle Shell and Smith s rivers, to the mild climate west of the Missouri, and 

 the rich and abundant grass on the whole route. The same luxuriance of the grasses is every 

 where found in the valleys of the Rocky mountains and the adjacent prairies. 



On my arrival at Fort Owen, the importance of establishing the winter post already deter 

 mined upon was only the more apparent, and fifteen men were placed on duty with Lieutenant 

 Mullan. Unfortunately but few of the animals left by Lieutenant Saxton were fit for service, 

 and were all needed for the parties going westward over the Cceur d Alene mountains. 



The remaining animals were, however, gradually improving, and would, it was believed, 

 furnish Lieutenant Mullan in the course of ten weeks the means of running a line down to 

 Fort Hall to connect our surveys with those of Fremont. By referring to a copy of his instruc 

 tions, herewith enclosed and marked 2, it will be seen that he has likewise had assigned to him 

 the duty of extending the survey northward, of making all possible examination of the passes, 

 and to occupy a meteorological post during&quot; the winter. Very good specimens of gold have 

 been found in the St. Mary s valley, and Lieutenant Mullau s attention has been specially 

 called to it in these instructions. 



Lieutenant Dohelson was placed in command of the principal party with the civil engineer 

 Mr. Lander, and Lieutenant Arnold associated with Mr. Stevens in the astronomical obser 

 vations, and also in charge of a separate party for side reconnaissance. It was now important 

 to give such directions to the operations as to insure a connection between the eastern and 

 western divisions of the survey ; and whilst Lieutenant Donelson was moving along the general 



