ITINERARY OF ROUTE FROM ST. PAUL TO FORT UNION. 355 



June 27. Undulating prairie, rich soil, covered with a heavy growth of grass, 

 with small ponds and marshes ; woods continue in sight a short distance on the left 

 to Elbow lake, a well wooded take, of form indicated by its name 7f 



Rolling prairie, with two bad sloughs, to Rabbit river, which is crossed with the 

 wagon with but little difficulty, where it issues from a small lake; it is a small 

 stream, but spreads out from one hundred to three hundred feet, with marshy 

 borders ; camp on the small lake, with good grass, wood, and water 6 



13 



June 28. Rolling ground, with small ponds and marshes, to a small brook twelve 



feet wide ; the Bois des Sioux prairie, a smooth, flat prairie, without knoll or un- 5^ 

 dulation an immense plain, apparently level, covered with a tall, coarse, dark- 

 colored grass, and unrelieved with the sight of a tree or shrub; firm bottom, but 



undoubtedly wet in spring ; small brook when the train made a noon halt llf 



Same smooth prairie as above to Bois des Sioux river, sometimes soft and miry ; 

 camp on river bank ; wood and grass good river-water fair; many catfish caught 

 in the river 10 



27 



June 29. Cross Bois des Sioux river ; river 70 feet wide, 4 to 7 feet deep; muddy 



bottom; steep and miry banks; goods boated over; wagons hauled through, light, 

 with ropes ; bad crossing, but passable ; smooth, flat prairie, as on the east side of 

 Bois des Sioux, occasionally interrupted with open sloughs to Wild Rice river, and 

 camp with \vood, water, and abundant grass 11 



June 30. Wild Rice river about 40 feet wide, 5 feet deep, with muddy and 

 miry bottom and sides, flowing in a ca.nal-like channel, some twenty feet below 

 prairie level ; river skirted with elm ; river bridged from the steep banks, being too 

 miry to sustain the animals, detaining the train but little more than half a d;iy; 

 small brook, without wood, flowing in a broad channel cut out through the prairie ; 

 crossing miry, but made passable for the wagon by strewing the bottom with 

 mown grass 2 J 



Firm prairie to camp on edge of above small stream; good grass and water; no 



wood ; elk killed by hunter 2^- 



4 



July 1. Smooth prairie extending to Shayenne river; sand-knolls, ponds, and 

 marshes frequent as the river is approached ; the marshes were not miry firmer 

 bottom; good wagon road; night encampment on bank of river; sufficient grass 

 for train; wood abundant ; river-water good ; many catfish caught in river 



July 2. Shayenne river 60 feet wide, 14 feet deep; river had been previously 

 bridged by Red River train, from the poplars and other trees growing on the river, 

 and this bridge we made use of in crossing our wagons ; camp on the west bank of 

 the river ; water, wood, and grass good 



July 4. Prairie undulation, interrupted with marshes and small ponds and oc 

 casional small rivulets, to Maple river, about 25 feet wide, 3 feet deep, firm 

 bottom, and easily passed by the \vagons; river tolerably well wooded, and the 

 camp on its edge is furnished with water, wood, and good grass 16 



The rich black soil of the valley of this stream is noticeable. 



July 5. To a small stream 30 feet wide, 2 feet deep, clayey bottom, easily 



crossed by the wagons; prairie high, firm and almost level for some thirteen miles, 



becoming more rolling and with small ponds in the last seven miles of the march ; 



on the edge of some of the ponds are salt incrustations ; camp on the river; water 



good ; grass good ; no wood, and the &quot;bois de vache&quot; is used for fuel 20 



