310 
FROM THE FLATHEAD CAMP TO ST. MARY’S VALLEY. 
the Muscle Shell, crossing in the mean while several prairie streamlets that empty their waters 
into the Muscle Shell. Travelling up the river four miles farther, we encamped on its right bank, 
finding an abundance of grass, wood, and water. Game, to-day, was very abundant. Buffalo 
in large bands, antelope, elk, geese, and ducks were seen during the day. The night of the day 
was mild and beautiful till towards daybreak, when it became cool and chilly from the Snow 
mountains. 
September 19, 1S53.—Commences clear and cool; the thermometer at sunrise 24£°. We re¬ 
sumed our journey at 6 a. m., following up the valley of the northwest fork of the Muscle Shell, 
which on this day we found much less wooded than that already travelled, still continuing, how¬ 
ever, well grassed. The Belt mountains to-day approach quite close to the banks of the Muscle 
Shell on the north. We saw plainly to-day that the Snow mountains are not a separate and dis¬ 
tinct range, but form a part of the Girdle or Belt mountains, and are called the Snow mountains 
when the range crosses the Muscle Shell, where they increase in elevation to such an extent that 
many of the higher peaks are always covered with snow; hence the name that has been applied 
to them of the Snow mountains. The range of the Belt mountains running along the Muscle 
Shell, taken in connexion with the spur along the Missouri opposite Fort Benton, and the range 
running from the Missouri to the Muscle Shell, form the two parallel sides, and diagonal of a 
parallelogram, the diagonal having a general direction of northwest and southeast. The country 
south of the Muscle Shell, extending to the base of the Snow mountains, is very rugged and 
broken, while that to the no th, towards the Belt mountains, is partially wooded, and rises grad¬ 
ually from the Muscle Shell river to the base of the mountains. We passed this morning the 
mouth of the southwest fork, coming from the Snow mountains, which was well wooded, and as 
large and rapid as the northwest fork, with which it made an angle of 38°. By following along 
this southwestern fork you strike the Missouri at or near the gate of the mountains, and cross the 
main chain of the Rocky mountains by following up the Jefferson fork of the Missouri. On the 
left bank of the river we noticed this morning a rock formation, occurring in thin layers, similar 
to that about sixty miles south of the Muscle Shell. As a general thing, the banks of the Muscle 
Shell and those of its tributaries are of a clay formation mingled with much gravel, the bed of 
the stream being also gravelly and rocky. Having travelled a distance of twenty miles, we 
nooned on the right bank of the river, where we found excellent grass, but no wood; which latter 
seems to be more scarce the farther we travel up the river. At 2 p. m. we resumed our march, 
continuing along the right bank of the river, over a very level and beautiful prairie that extended 
to the base of the Girdle mountains, which at this point cross the main stream or northwest fork 
of the Muscle Shell, and run towards the south for three or four miles, crossing the southwest 
fork, where, bending more to the east, making an angle of 30° with the main river, they become 
the Snow mountains. After travelling six miles farther, our trail lay through a pass in the Belt 
mountains, formed by the valley of the Muscie Shell river, which we followed to our night’s 
camp, crossing the river at its head branches, several of which are unwooded, the grass of' the 
valley being excellent. The mountains on each side of the valley of the northwest fork are about 
1,000 feet high, well clad with the yellow and spruce pine, growing to a height of seventy-five 
feet, perfectly straight, and from twelve to twenty-four inches in diameter near the ground. The 
mountains are formed of a cream-colored, unstratified rock, exposures of which would be seen 
at times along the slopes. The willow, in great abundance, is found on the banks of the head 
branches of the stream growing to a height of six and eight feet. We camped to-night on the 
left bank of the stream, having marched thirty-five miles. 
September 20, 1S53.—Commences cool and clear, the thermometer at sunrise being 24°; frost 
last night was exceedingly heavy, covering the ground like a coating of snow. Our camp of last 
night being in the valley of one of the head branches of the Muscle Shell, with high mountains 
on each side, it is possible that we had frost much heavier than if we had been on the plains. 
We resumed our march this morning at 7 a. m., our trail being over a very excellent road along 
