128 NARRATIVE OF 1853. 
the Jocko River valley. Arrived there, they became aware of their whereabouts, and, leaving 
camp early this morning, pursued the trail taken by Lieutenant Donelson’s party, which they 
met in the defile near the summit of the dividing ridge. On his route Mr. Tinkham passed the 
Flathead fort, which is situated on one of the tributaries of Clark’s Fork, a little distance to 
the north of Jocko river. It is at present unoccupied. 
I now determined to send Mr. Tinkham across the mountains again, to explore the Marias 
Pass, on which my mind has been so long fixed as a practicable and direct pass, and to return 
to the Bitter Root valley by some route south of those already explored; thence by the southern 
Nez Percés trail, to examine another route over the Bitter Root to Walla-Walla. The animals 
wintering at Fort Owen and at Fort Benton would suffice to afford him an exchange; and as I 
was satisfied that in the course of this trip his conferences with Mr. Doty and Lieutenant 
Mullan would all lead to a better mutual knowledge of the country, I made the necessary 
arrangements at once, and sent an express to Lieutenant Donelson informing him of the fact, 
and directing him to make the necessary pauses on his route that Mr. Tinkham might overtake 
him, and to furnish him with provisions and some fresh animals; and I availed myself of the 
opportunity to advise Mr. Doty, by letter, of the arrangements, and to suggest to him that it 
might be well for him to return with Mr. Tinkham to the Bitter Root valley, in order to enlarge 
his own knowledge of the country, and conceive properly the deportment of the mountain 
region, so that, returning immediately, he would have an enlarged and just view of his field of 
duty. This, however, I left optional with Mr. Doty, whose plans and labors, acting under my 
general instructions, I could not altogether foresee. 
It is extraordinary how easy of passage the mountains are in this latitude. A favorite time 
of the return of the Flathead Indians from the buffalo hunt is between Christmas and New- 
year; it is only in winters of unusual severity that they are unable to cross during any month. 
The Indians west of the Cœur d'Aléne mountains return from the hunt usually in March, 
leaving the buffalo grounds early in the month, and reaching their homes at its close. I dwelt 
upon this in conversation with Mr. Tinkham, and wished him to letit be thoroughly understood 
by Mr. Doty, that the latter might not fear being caught in the mountains or obliged to winter 
at St. Mary's. 
We have to-day seen at our camp a good deal of Victor, the Flathead chief, celebrated in 
the book of De Smet. Не appears to be simple-minded, but rather wanting in energy, which 
might, however, be developed in an emergency. I secured a Flathead guide to go with Mr. 
Tinkham through the Marias Pass, returning with him by the Flathead Pass. He was at first 
reluctant to go, but afterwards consented. Іп the course of the evening the Flathead Indian 
came to me to decline going, and one or two of the men wished to back out. On tracing the 
cause to its source, I found they had been alarmed by some remarks of Monroe, who told them 
he was afraid they would fall in with parties of Blackfeet young men. 
I will here remark that the Indian agent, Lansdale, in 1856, went over the route from the 
Jocko to the Big Blackfoot, sought for by Mr. Tinkham in 1853. It is much used by the 
Upper Pend d’Oreille Indians in going to hunt buffalo east of the mountains. The following 
description will show the character of this route: 
Leaving the Mission of St. Ignatius the trail leads up the main fork of the Jocko, which 
runs through an open grassy bottom interspersed with pine trees. After following this stream 
for six miles the trail passes up the east fork, which has an open valley for about a mile, when 
the country becomes thick with trees, and many fallen logs obstruct the passage; the hills rise 
