374 
ITINERARY OF TIIE ROUTE FROM FORT OWEN TO WALLAH-WALLAH. 
day. The Teton is wooded at intervals with the cotton-wood, and is here 60 to 
150 feet wide, and flows in a prairie channel hid from view except in its immediate 
neighborhood. At our night camp the grass was fine, and wood and water all that 
was desirable. 29 
October 27.—Descend the Teton: at a distance of ten and a half miles reaching 
old camp of A. W. Tinkham, of September 10 and 11, on Teton river near the 
Knee... 104 
Thence to Fort Benton, in a direct line, is estimated to be. 334 
The same smooth and dry prairie, already noticed, lies between the Teton and 
Missouri rivers. - 
The whole length of this reconnaissance, from Lieutenant Donelson’s last camp 
on Jocko river to Fort Benton, is (miles). 295J 
This distance is simply estimated, and at its different points will sometimes be found too large 
and sometimes too small. As a whole, it appears to be in excess about ten miles. The courses 
are also more or less erroneous; much of the trail, where passing through the woods and fallen 
timber, in being very serpentine, and changing its direction 100° a rod or two, without opportu¬ 
nity for giving a general course; while on the prairie the air was often so thick with snow that 
it was impossible to retain a direct course. 
Very respectfully, your obedient servant, A. W. TINKHAM. 
Governor I. I. Stevens, 
Chief of Northern Pacific Railroad Exploration and Survey , Washington, D. C. 
33. Itinerary of the route from fort owen, by the southern nez perces trail, to 
WALLAH-WALLAH. 
From Fort Owen westward to Wallah-Wallah the journey was interrupted with many deten¬ 
tions and delays ; a portion of it was made with snow-shoes and packs, when our whole day’s 
march sometimes amounted to but two or three miles ; and hence, in giving the features of this 
route, it will not generally be desirable to notice separately the journey of each day, as heretofore. 
Cantonment Stevens, the winter quarters of Lieutenant Mullan, is on the St. 
Mary’s river, fourteen miles above Fort Owen. The southern Nez Perces trail 
leaves the main trail, which ascends the St. Mary’s valley at the forks of the river, 
twenty-six miles above Cantonment Stevens, and traces the southwest fork to near 
its source. To the fork the valley of the St. Mary’s retains its open and prepos¬ 
sessing character, with good grazing and much good soil; and a practicable passage 
for wagons can be obtained with occasional divergings from the present trail. 40 
November 21.—The southwest fork of the St. Mary’s is, a short distance above 
its union with the main stream, above eighty feet wide, three feet deep, with a bot¬ 
tom of large round stones of granite or gneiss. The trail is narrow, (generally a 
single horse-trail;) is mostly on the strips of bottom-land, crossing and recrossing 
the stream at frequent intervals, and is not practicable for wagons. The valley is 
narrow, closed in by high wooded hills; and the trail leaves it near its end, above 
where we entered it—a distance of. _.... 24 
In this distance snow had appeared, and finally was about eight inches deep; 
and the streams were half frozen. At this season no good camping grounds can 
be found; the grass is very scanty, and the valley generally wooded, so as to be 
very troublesome crossing. 
November 23.—After leaving the valley of the southwest fork of St. Mary’s river, 
the trail passes over a high and hilly ridge to the Kooskooskia. During the passage 
