NARRATIVE OF 1853. 105 
assistants to take altitudes. I gave Mr. Lander authority, with certain exceptions, to select 
his animals from my whole train, deeming it important that he should be exceedingly well 
fitted out, as he would probably have a long distance to make before he joined the main party 
in the valley of Clark’s Fork. 
September 6.—The main party, under Lieutenant Donelson, reached the Teton early this 
morning. Nothing unusual occurred since I left them, except that they were at one time in 
great danger from a prairie fire, which, however, was checked and everything saved by the 
good arrangements of Lieutenant Donelson and the energy and exertions of the party. On 
leaving Milk river he halted a day to fit out Mr. Tinkham for his reconnoissance of the Three 
Buttes, and the country thence along the mountains to Fort Benton. The animals came in in 
very excellent condition, considering that they had moved some eleven hundred miles from the 
Mississippi; and I determined at once to push Lieutenant Donelson ahead with a small party of 
some twenty-five men, in order to reconnoitre the approaches to Cadotte’s Pass. The train was 
to follow some days subsequently, it being important that the animals should have a few days’ 
rest; and believing, from the information before me, that it was entirely practicable, by vigor 
and good judgment, to push our wagons through, I made such arrangements as left Lieutenant 
Donelson free to make the survey, and devolve the charge of managing the supply train upon 
Mr. Osgood, the acting quartermaster. As will appear hereafter, these arrangements were not 
carried out. | 
It seemed important that I should visit the main camp of the Blackfeet near the Cypress 
mountain, confer with their chiefs in regard to the contemplated council at Fort Benton next 
year, and secure guides for the survey of the Marias Pass. I expected, after accomplishing 
this, to be able to overtake the main party before it reached the Bitter Root valley, and 
probably by the time it was ready to cross the divide of the Rocky mountains. . I desired, also, 
personally, to examine the approaches to, and the entrance of, the several passes of the 
mountains from our parallel southward. 
September Т, 8, 9.—I was occupied these three days in preparing instructions to Lieutenant 
Donelson, conferring with Dr. Evans, our geologist, and making my reports to the War Depart- 
ment and the Indian commissioner; and I very frankly and explicitly stated that to continue 
the survey, and to carry out the instructions with regard to the work to be accomplished, it 
was absolutely necessary to incur a deficiency; believing that if the facts as they skisted were 
known to Congress and the department, their instructions would be for me to continue the 
exploration, I determined to incur the deficiency and to make the sürvey. My instructions 
required me to examine into the question of the snows on the route, into the fresheta of the 
streams, and the period of time they were locked up by the ice; to de which it was indispensable 
that there should be winter posts established at Fort Benton and in the Bitter Root valley, and 
it was desirable, in connexion with these posts, to have such arrangements made and such 
facilities afforded as would enable the gentlemen in charge of them " uncus the explots- 
tions of the passes and the adjacent country. Being satisfied that this Indian council would 
have a weighty-influence in the whole question of emigration on this route, And of any operation 
which might be undertaken by our government and its клеш, either in the way of wagon 
roads or railroads, I urged the matter of a Blackfoot council upon the indian department: 
Lieutenant Mullan, who had accompanied Lieutenant Donelson up the Missouri, and i bad 
assisted in the observations from Fort Union to Fort Benton, I assigned to the duty of visiting 
the Flathead camp, supposed to be on the Muscle Shell, to convey to them a message of peace 
145 
