310 FROM THE FLATHEAD CAMP TO ST. MARY S VALLEY. 



the Muscle Shell, crossing in the mean while several prairie streamlets that empty their waters 

 into the Muscle Shell. Travelling up the river four miles farther, we encamped on its right bank, 

 finding an abundance of grass, wood, and water. Game, to-day, was very abundant. Buffalo 

 in large bands, antelope, elk, geese, and ducks were seen during the day. The night of the day 

 was mild and beautiful till towards daybreak, when it became cool and chilly from the Snow 

 mountains. 



September 19, 1863. Commences clear and cool; the thermometer at sunrise 24 . We re 

 sumed our journey at 6 a. m., following up the valley of the northwest fork of the Muscle Shell, 

 which on this day we found much less wooded than that already travelled, still continuing, how 

 ever, well grassed. The Belt mountains to-day approach quite close to the banks of the Muscle 

 Shell on the north. We saw plainly to-day that the Snow mountains are not a separate and dis 

 tinct range, but form a part of the Girdle or Belt mountains, and are called the Snow mountains 

 when the range crosses the Muscle Shell, where they increase in elevation to such an extent that 

 many of the higher peaks are always covered with snow; hence the name that has been applied 

 to them of the Snow mountains. The range of the Belt mountains running along the Muscle 

 Shell, taken in connexion with the spur along the Missouri opposite Fort Benton, and the range 

 running from the Missouri to the Muscle Shell, form the two parallel sides, and diagonal of a 

 parallelogram, the diagonal having a general direction of northwest and southeast. The country 

 south of the Muscle Shell, extending to the base of the Snow mountains, is very rugged and 

 broken, while that to the north, towards the Belt mountains, is partially wooded, and rises grad 

 ually from the Muscle Shell river to the base of the mountains. We passed this morning the 

 mouth of the southwest fork, coming from the Snow mountains, which was well wooded, and as 

 large and rapid as the northwest fork, with which it made an angle of 38. By following along 

 this southwestern fork you strike the Missouri at or near the gate of the mountains, and cross the 

 main chain of the Rocky mountains by following up the Jefferson fork of the Missouri. On the 

 left bank of the river we noticed this morning a rock formation, occurring in thin layers, similar 

 to that about sixty miles south of the Muscle Shell. As a general thing, the banks of the Muscle 

 Shell and those of its tributaries are of a clay formation mingled with much gravel, the bed of 

 the stream being also gravelly and rocky. Having travelled a distance of twenty miles, we 

 nooned on the right bank of the river, where we found excellent grass, but no wood ; which latter 

 seems to be more scarce the farther we travel up the river. At 2 p. m. we resumed our march, 

 continuing along the right bank of the river, over a very level and beautiful prairie that extended 

 to the base of the Girdle mountains, which at this point cross the main stream or northwest fork 

 of the Muscle Shell, arid run towards the south for three or four miles, crossing the southwest 

 fork, where, bending more to the east, making an angle of 30 with the main river, they become 

 the Snow mountains. After travelling six miles farther, our trail lay through a pass in the Belt 

 mountains, formed by the valley of the Muscle Shell river, which we followed to our night s 

 camp, crossing the river at its head branches, several of which are unwooded, the grass of the 

 valley being excellent. The mountains on each side of the valley of the northwest fork are about 

 1,000 feet high, well clad with the yellow and spruce pine, growing to a height of seventy-five 

 feet, perfectly straight, and from twelve to twenty-four inches in diameter near the ground. The 

 mountains are formed of a cream-colored, unstratified rock, exposures of which would be seen 

 at times along the slopes. The willow, in great abundance, is found on the banks of the head 

 branches of the stream growing to a height of six and eight feet. We camped to-night on the 

 left b;mk of the stream, having marched thirty-five miles. 



September 20, 1853. Commences cool and clear, the thermometer at sunrise being 24; frost 

 last night was exceedingly heavy, covering the ground like a coating of snow. Our camp of last 

 night being in the valley of one of the head branches of the Muscle Shell, with high mountains 

 on each side, it is possible that we had frost much heavier than if we had been on the plains. 

 We resumed our march this morning at 7 a. m., our trail being over a very excellent road along 



