104 NARRATIVE OF 4853. 
divinity, and he thus became in their eyes a great medicine man. Yesterday and to-day I was 
also much occupied in examining Indians and getting information of the country. 
September 5.—The necessary arrangements having been made last evening, Lieutenant Grover 
started about 11 o'clock to-day to open the communication with the western parties. He was 
instructed to cross the mountains, proceed to the Bitter Root valley, ascertain if Lieutenant 
Saxton had established the depot of provisions at that point; and in the event of not meeting 
Lieutenant Saxton, he was directed to continue on to the Koutenay post, in order to get infor- 
mation of the whereabouts of Captain McClellan. From that point he was to despatch an 
express to Captain McClellan, informing him of our arrival at Fort Benton, and return 
immediately to that point. The field of duty which I have mentioned in the previous part of 
this narrative as that which I had determined to assign to him was now set forth in orders, 
and I congratulated the expedition that a gentleman of his known energy, ability, and good 
faith, could be availed of in the determining of such important facts as the navigability of the 
Upper Missouri, and the obstructions to be expected from snow during the winter from Fort 
Benton to Puget Sound. Dr. Evans also arrived to-day in fifteen days from Fort Union. He 
took the route between the Milk and Missouri rivers, passing through the Bear’s Paw, and 
reports having found many delightful, well grassed, and arable valleys in this mountain, and that 
indeed generally, between these two rivers from their junction, the country was exceedingly 
well adapted to voyaging; water, grass, and wood, to be found at short distances, and much of 
the land he represents as being arable. The Doctor made a large collection in the Mauvaise 
Terre, and made quite a circuit on his way to Fort Union, finding а large extent of country 
between Fort Pierre and Fort Union, south of the Missouri, a prairie country instead ofa 
country of hills and mountains, as had been generally supposed; grass not only good, but the 
country emphatically cultivable. This strip of country stretches southward some fifty miles 
from the Missouri. 
Indeed, I am now impressed with the opinion, which I have got from various sources, that 
there is a large extent of country, cultivable, both north and south of the Missouri, especially 
as you approach the mountains in the neighborhood of the Yellowstone and its tributaries, 
particularly the tributaries flowing into the Yellowstone from the south "ыз until you reach 
the South Pass emigrant trail. 
From Dr. Evans’s representation of the grades of the route between the Milk and Missouri 
rivers, I became anxious to run a line of levels, because a good practicable route might be found 
that would considerably shorten the distance of the route pursued by us. Mr. Lander was 
busily occupied to-day in fitting out his party for the survey of the Marias Pass, in reference to 
which I also gained some general information that satisfied me of the existence of a pass in that 
quarter. Since I have given my attention to the passes of these mountains, I have been greatly 
impressed with the fact, from the course of the streams and the general deportment of the 
country, that there must be a good and practicable pass leading from some branch of the 
Marias; and at this time I was sanguine that we should find there the best solution of the 
question of the railroad practicability of the Rocky mountain range. I preferred, however, to 
move the main train, and to make the observations upon some line, in regard to which our 
information was so definite that we could be sure that the expedition could reach its destination 
this fall, as it would be very easy to connect side lines with the line of the main train, for 
the different gentlemen in charge of detached parties were assisted by men who were both able 
to run compass lines, sketch in the topography, and were provided with barometers and 
