1678 REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS. 



September 1, marched 23.37 miles to Clark's Fork, tlie road leading down Bandans 

 Fork to its junction with Rocky Fork, and down this stream to another 6 miles of its 

 junction with Clark's Fork. This is the only practicable route across to Clark's Fork, 

 as the mountain foot-hills make it impracticable for a wagon-train to leave the valley 

 of the streams. Rocky Fork is a bold mountain-stream, averaging about 2 feet in 

 depth and 20 yards in width. The water is very clear and cold. The stream is tilled 

 with trout, of which a great many were caught. Ash, cottonwood, boxelder, and 

 occasional oaks are found along the banks of the stream, the valleys covered with 

 grass. 



From the Crow Agency to the junction of Rocky and Clark's Forks the command fol- 

 lowed the F. and C. F. Smith and Bozeiuan road, but here changed direction, going up 

 Clark's Fork 8 miles to camp, which was made in bottom where good grass and plenty 

 of wood were found. Clark's Fork is a swift-running mountain-stream, averaging 

 2 feet in depth and 50 yards in width. On the banks grow ash, cottonwood, and wil- 

 lows. The country from the Crow Agency to this point is excellent for stock-raising, 

 as its broken character adapts it peculiarly to this branch of industry. In the val- 

 leys during the winter ample protection could be found for stock, and food would be 

 found in same places. During the summer the valleys and hills are covered with a 

 splendid growth of grass. 



On the 2d of September the command remained in camp awaiting arrival of supply- 

 train from Crow Agency. 



On the 3d moved up Clark's Fork 21.56 miles. From the last camp the grass seems 

 to stop growing, the bottoms being covered with a growth of sage-brush, sometimes 

 8 and 10 feet high. The ground is covered with round stones, the washings from the 

 mountains ; stones, cactus, and sage-brush all seem to be contending for ownership of 

 the land, and are all well represented. Camp was made on Clark's Fork, with no grass ; 

 plenty of wood and water. From this camp to the base of the mountains the country 

 was the same as that passed over the preceding day, being all of a particularly unin- 

 teresting nature. 



On the 4th, marched 17.56 miles to base of Snowy Mountains. Camp was made on 

 a little mountain-stream, with plenty of wood and water, but no grass. 



On the 5th camp was moved 2 miles up this stream to a recess in the mountains 

 where a meadow of about a hundred acres was found which was covered with very 

 good grass. The command remained here until the 7th, when it moved across to main 

 canon of Clyk's Fork, a similar recess being found where sufficient grass for the com- 

 mand was found. Heart Mountain, the most prominent landmark, lies 16 miles south 

 of this canon (bearing 349^-329^). It can be seen for 40 miles down Clark's Fork, and 

 is situated on the divide between Clark's Fork and Standing-water. 



On the 8th two scouting parties that had been sent out in the morning returned, 

 one reporting that two scouts sent out the day before had been found shot (one dead, 

 the other wounded), and the other scouting party reported that the Indian village was 

 across the mountain. The road from the caiion to Stinkingwater was found to be 

 impracticable for wagons, and the order was given for the pack-train to be prepared 

 and the wagon-train to return to the Crow Agency. The command moved at 6 p. m., 

 making a night's march of 15 miles over a very broken country to a camp at foot of Heart 

 Mountain on a tributary of Clark's Fork. This country along the base of the mount- 

 ains is exceedingly rough and broken, cut up by deep ravines, and altogether imprac- 

 ticable for wagons. 



On the 9th marched 35 miles to a tributary of Stinkingwater, passing around point 

 of mountians and crossing Stinkingwater below the canon. The road was over an 

 exceedingly rough, barren, and broken country with scarcely any vegetation. The 

 Stinkingwater, so named from the sulphar odor of its water, is ahold mountain-stream 

 of about 3 feet average depth and 50 yards wide. It has steep-cut banks below the 

 canon, and the crossing for horses and pack-animals was very difficult. The sulphur 

 fumes are distinctly noticeable a mile from the stream, all coming from the sulphur- 

 beds in the canon. The caiion was formed by the river cutting off a spur of the 

 mountain, and is about 4 miles through. No traces of sulphur were found above the 

 canon. Tolerable grass was found at camp, with plenty of wood and water. The 

 surface of the ground is covered with lavas, both feldspathic and basaltic. I had not 

 the time here to estimate or collect specimens, as the command was moving rapidly 

 and I was engaged with the scouts. In the upheaval which formed the mountains 

 two distinct ridges were formed, the outer one being nothing like so great an altitude 

 as the inner one. The two are separated by a valley varying from 2 miles to a few 

 hundred yards in width. The strata in places are nearly vert Leal, and at the mouth of 

 of Clark's Fork Canon one ledge was completely overturned. No timber grows in the 



valley of the Stinkingwater below the canon, and indeed there is scarcely a sign of 



vegetation of any kind on this stream where the trail first meets it. The mountains 

 are covered with a growth of pine-trees having a diameter in some cases of 4 feet. 



On the 10th marched 'I'l miles over a very difficult road. Leaving the small stream 

 on which camp was made, the command passed around the canon of the Slinking- 



