AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL NOTES. 



29 



were detained several days by heavy rains and high water. The Big 

 Muddy was finally crossed on a pontoon bridge, constructed of wagon 

 bodies filled with empty water casks. It required the greater part of two 

 days to make the crossing after the construction of the bridge. We reached 

 the Little Missouri July 11, via the Bad Lands and Davis Creek. The 

 descent of the latter was a tedious day's march of twelve hours, to gain the 

 same number of miles on our course. The stream was tortuous and the 

 valley narrow, so that it was necessary to build ten corduroy bridges in a 

 distance of eight miles. The infantry was deployed in single file in the 

 bluffs on each side of the creek, to prevent a surprise attack by Indians. 

 The ford of the Little Missouri was over a treacherous bottom, and before 

 attempting it with the wagon train it was found necessary to consolidate 

 the quicksands by treading with the cavalry and the herd of beeves. It 

 was also necessary for the pioneers to construct a. roadway up the gorge on 

 the west side in order to reach the plateau on the western side of the river. 



The Yellowstone River was reached July 15, and the crossing made a 

 few days later by means of the steamboat 'Josephine,' which met us here 

 for the purpose of ferrying the expedition across. We remained in camp 

 near this point for two weeks, waiting for the engineers to connect their 

 preliminary line with their work of the previous year. A stockade was 

 built here and named Camp Thorne, at which a large quantity of supplies 

 was left, with a strong guard of troops, including two squadrons of cavalry 

 and two companies of infantry. The site of Camp Thorne is now the 

 town of Glendive. The distance from Fort Rice to Camp Thorne was 310 

 miles. 



On July 28 we began our march up the west side of the Yellowstone. 

 Owing to the bad lands bordering the river our line of travel was some 

 distance to the westward, and very devious, it being necessary at times to 

 make long detours in order to get around deep ravines, a long, hard day's 

 march of ten or twelve hours resulting in some instances in a gain of not 

 more than two or three miles on our course. We passed the mouth of 

 Powder River July 30, the mouth of Tongue River August 4, the mouth of 

 the Rosebud August 7, the mouth of the Big Horn August 12, reaching 

 Pompey's Pillar about 8 a. m. August 15, 190 miles above Camp Thorne. 

 This was the end of our reconnaissance on the Yellowstone, the line above 

 Pompey's Pillar having been surveyed the previous year. On the 17th of 

 August we turned west toward the Musselshell River, which we struck at a 

 point 50 miles northwest from Pompey's Pillar on the 19th. This point 

 marked the end of the outward journey. 



The next day we crossed to the left bank of the Musselshell and followed 

 down this river, to the Big Bend of the Musselshell, which we reached 



