A Little-Knoicn Legion in Northwestern Montana. 189 
our supplies had been so far transported by wagon. They were now 
transferred to the pack-mules, who entered a vigorous protest ^gainst 
this return to more primitive methods. 
Our course from the Cut Bank was nearly north to the national 
boundary, which we touched first in longitude 113° 30' west. From this 
point we moved westerly to the valley of the Belly River, crossing the 
main range at the head of that stream about fifteen miles south of the 
boundary, in longitude 113° 40'. From the new pass we descended by 
the way of Mud Creek into the valley of the North Fork of Flathead 
river, our course being very crooked, but averaging about southwest by 
south. Our farthest west, 114° 45', was reached near the 48th parallel, at 
which point I left the party, returning home by the way of Flathead 
lake and south to the Northern Pacific railroad. We were eight days 
on the plains and twenty-two days in the mountains. Side trips were 
made as follows: Up the Cut Bank to the summit of the main range, 
where there is an easy pass at an elevation of 7,800 feet; up the Swift 
Current from the foot of St. Mary’s lakes also to the summit, but a 
vertical descent on the western side, of many hundred feet barred 
further progress there. Another trip was made over the divide between 
MacDonald’s Creek and the head waters of the East Kootanie to Glacier 
Creek. Tho whole distance traveled in saddle or on foot was estimated 
at 370 miles. 
PREVIOUS EXPLORATIONS. 
So far as I know, the only explorations in this region previous to our 
visit were by members of the Boundary Commission along the 49th 
parallel, and by Dawson, McConnell, and others of the Canadian Survey 
on the north side of the line. None of these, so far as I can find, trav¬ 
eled far south from the line in the mountains. 
GEOGRAPHY AND GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 
The j)lains .— The region lying east of the mountains from Fort Shaw 
to the boundary is a high prairie, sloping rapidly from west to east and 
traversed by occasional swift streams from the mountains. The eleva¬ 
tions range from 5,000 feet at the base of the mountains to 3,500 at a 
distance of forty miles east. The Milk River Ridge, where we crossed 
it, rises several hundred feet above the streams that unite to form the 
South Fork of Milk River and over a thousand feet above the surface of 
St. Mary’s Lake. This ridge has a nearly north and south trend near 
the boundary, but bears a little west of south and joins the main range 
on the upper waters of the Cut Bank. It is the water-shed between the 
Hudson Bay basin and the Gulf of Mexico. It was followed by Lieut. 
Ahern and myself to its junction with the main divide of the Rocky 
Mountains, and the separation was found to be so sharp that from the 
