123 NARRATIVE OF 1853. 
before reaching which we met some Indians from Fort Owen. Lieutenant Arnold, whom we 
met after crossing the Bitter Root, on his way to Victor’s camp, sent on a messenger to attend 
to his business with Victor and returned with us. We reached Fort Owen about noon, where 
we met the other gentlemen of Lieutenant Arnold’s party. І found Mr. Lander in camp near 
Fort Owen, and learned that he arrived the day before yesterday. 
MR. LANDER’S TRIP. 
Mr. Lander, on receiving his instructions to report to Lieutenant Donelson for duty, in examin- 
ing the approaches to the mountains, was directed by him to move at once, with his party 
encamped on the Marias, in execution of that duty. He ran a line from the Marias to the Teton, 
and thence to the Sun river, crossing it at the island some six miles below the forks. Between 
the Teton and the Sun river he killed the first grizzly bear, near a lake named, in consequence, 
Grizzly Bear lake. From the Sun river he continued his examination to the upper waters of 
the Dearborn, and thence immediately under the foot-hills of the Rocky mountains to Lewis 
and Clark’s Pass; it being the pass pursued by Captain Lewis on his return trip. Mr. Lander, 
being provided with a suitable assistant and the necessary instruments, took some observations 
in order to determine the height of this pass, the grades of a railroad, and the amount of 
tunnelling required. Crossing the divide, he continued for seven miles down a stream which 
flows immediately from the pass, and for this distance has an almost straight course in the 
valley, with a remarkably uniform descent of a width seldom less than a quarter and opening 
to three-quarters of a mile. He then abandoned the examination of the pass furnished by this 
stream, and continued on the Indian trail over two low divides to a large tributary of the 
Blackfoot; passing four miles down which he came upon the Blackfoot fork. After continuing 
on for some distance down the valley he left it and passed over the divide to the waters of 
the Hell-Gate river: mistaking the Hell-Gate river for the Bitter Root, he moved up the valley 
of this stream, expecting to reach the St. Mary’s village, when again he turned from it, and 
crossing over a series of divides and a number of streams, he entered the valley on a known 
Flathead trail immediately east of Fort Owen. In consequence of the route taken by Mr. 
Lander, and his animals having been much pushed, they came in exceedingly jaded, although 
he started with the best train of the whole party. He was unable to make any observations 
whatever bearing upon our railroad line, excepting for seven miles of the divide, a short 
distance thence down the Blackfoot valley, and a small portion of the Hell-Gate valley. АП 
these facts did not come to my knowledge until a long time subsequently, and I deem it simply 
an act of justice to the expedition that they should be presented in this narrative. 
FORT OWEN. 
Fort Owen (see sketch) is situated on the Scattering creek of Lewis and Clark; and I would 
earnestly urge all persons desirous to know the minute details of the topography of this valley 
to study carefully the narrative of Lewis and Clark ; for to us it was a matter of the greatest 
gratification, with their narrative in hand, to pass through this valley and realize the fidelity 
and the graphic character of their descriptions. Lieutenant Arnold had been jerking beef 
against our arrival, and making all arrangements to enable us, without delay, to push on west- 
ward. I examined very carefully into the condition of the train left by Lieutenant Saxton, 
and of the provisions brought to this point, and had every reason to congratulate myself for 
having assigned to him this undertaking. We found there nearly two thousand rations, but 
the animals were very few of them serviceable, yet, from their appearance, it was obvious 
