ITINERARY OP THE ROUTE FROM FORT OWEN TO FORT BENTON. 371 



soil, and desirable for settlements. Above seventeen miles from morning camp, cross a 

 tributary, forty feet wide and two feet deep, coming from the southward. Camp on the 

 river, now over one hundred feet wide and three to four feet deep .................. 28 



November 14. During the march of to-day the valley is narrower, and the trail is not 

 as good as during the 12th. The interval is narrow quarter to half a mile wide and 

 steep; half-wooded hills, of about five hundred feet height, enclose it. In several places on 

 the side-hill the trail is too much inclined or steep for wagons, and wagons would be forced 

 to the bed of the river, which is fordable, about one hundred and fifty feet wide and two 

 and a half to three feet deep. The trail crosses the river five times during the day ...... 19 \ 



November 15. Sixteen miles from camp, Blackfoot and Hell Gate rivers unite. Of this 

 distance, about one mile, where the trail passes to the steep side-hill, is impracticable 

 as a wagon road. Wagons would necessarily keep down the interval, fording the river. 

 The ford of Blackfoot river is shallow and good. Many of the intervals during the day 

 have been occupied with an open pine growth ; cotton-wood, with occasional exceptions, 

 is found more or less abundantly skirting the river from its source to this point. At the 

 ford of Blackfoot river used by the main train in September, five and a half miles below 

 the junction of Hell Gate and Blackfoot river, my reconnaissance connects with the odom 

 eter survey of Mr. Lambert .................................................... 2 



November 16. Proceed up. the St. Mary s valley to Fort Owen, on the route of the 

 odometer survey, and already as such described the reports of Lieutenant Donelson ; a 

 broad and good trail extends up the valley ........................................ 



Whole distance from Fort Benton to Fort Owen is (miles) ......................... 255 



This is the estimated distance by this course, and a comparison of its plot with the plotted 

 lines of the odometer survey shows it to be about seven miles in excess. The actual travelled 

 distance would be slightly greater than the length of the courses. A comparison with Lieutenant 

 Mullan s odometer survey from Fort Benton shows that my estimates in descending the valley of 

 Little Blackfoot and Hell Gate rivers were much too small. They are hence correspondingly too 

 great between the summit of the Rocky mountains and Fort Benton. 



I am, sir, very respectfully, your most obedient servant, 



Governor I. I. STEVENS, A. W. TINKHAM. 



Chief N. P. Railroad Exploration and Survey. 



32. ITINERARY OF THE ROUTE FROM FORT OWEN BY THE JOCKO RIVER, FLATHEAD LAKE, AND 



MARIAS PASS, TO FORT BENTON. 



WASHINGTON CITY, July, 1854. 



DEAR SIR : I herewith submit an itinerary of the route pursued by myself from Jocko river 

 to Fort Benton, by way of Flathead lake and Marias Pass. 



October 10, 1853. Descend valley of Jocko river to near its mouth, fording 

 river several times; trail wholly on bottom lands, wide and practicable for wagons. 7 



Trail forks near the junction of Jocko with Flathead river, one branch descend 

 ing, and the other ascending, the latter river. In ascending the river, its valley 

 is wide and open but little wooded in the bottom-lands ; the ground is easy for 

 travelling. Ford the river with a depth of about three and a half feet, with a ford 

 of some one hundred and fifty yards, swift current, stony bottom, and low banks. 

 Camp, immediately after fording the river, in the midst of a few tall, scattered pines, 

 with good grass and water, and salmon trout from the river 



