FROM BITTER ROOT VALLEY TO FLATHEAD LAKE AND KOOTENAY RIVER. 517 
These Blackfeet had been in the mountains apparently several weeks, had built themselves a 
fort, and had killed two cows from the valley, the meat of which they had dried. They left in 
the fort seven pairs of snow-shoes and many trinkets. 
Seventeen Flatheads and Pend d’Oreilles pursued across the mountains, through deep snow 
and timber, but succeeded not in overtaking them ; and thus these hell-hounds made off with a 
large and valuable band of fat horses. 
Hearing this, I sent an Indian back to my camp with instructions to have our animals guarded 
during the day and corralled at night, thus using every precaution in securing a large and valuable 
band of government animals, which are by no means safe from these well known and noted 
horse-thieves of the Rocky mountains. 
We resumed our march on the morning of the 16th, in a heavy rain-storm; our trail for seven 
miles being over a rolling prairie, when we entered Conacan’s defile. This is a defile in the 
mountains separating the Jocko river from the Hell Gate: it is so named from the fact that three 
Kanakas, bearing this name, were killed here some years ago by the Blackfeet. We found the 
road very rough and rocky, with much fallen timber along the trail. On the summit of this 
divide is a small prairie called the “Camash Prairie.” It is here where the Pend d’Oreilles, at 
limes, dig the camash root. 
Gaining the base of the divide on the north, we struck the “Course des Femmes,” a small 
stream that empties into the Jocko. It is so named from the fact that here formerly the Indian 
women ran races. It flows through a level and beautiful prairie, where we found the grass very 
rich and green. The camash grows here quite abundantly. 
Travelling a few miles farther in this prairie we struck the Jocko, which we had to our right. 
This we found quite a large stream, being now swollen by the melting of the snow in the mount¬ 
ains. We crossed it five times during the day, it being fordable at each crossing. At a distance 
of thirty-six miles from the Hell Gate we struck the Clark’s fork of the Columbia, encamping 
on its left bank a short distance above the mouth of the Jocko. 
This stream we found very much swollen; we tried the ford during the evening, but found the 
water very deep, and, as it was necessary to go as far as Horse Plain before seeing an Indian 
who could guide us in a northern direction, we were compelled to build rafts to cross the river. 
So, setting the party at work after arriving in camp, we had at the river’s edge by sunset timber 
sufficient for two rafts, so that early on the morning of the 17th we made our rafts and crossed 
everything in safety to the opposite bank. The river at this point is two hundred and fifty yards 
wide, and in the channel we could not find bottom, having tried it with poles fifteen feet long. 
Thence resuming our march down the right bank of the Clark’s fork, we found the trail leading 
over a somewhat rough and difficult road. It lay principally along the side-hill, where had 
broken off numberless rocks and fragments of rock, affording us a very difficult road; a much 
better road we found on the opposite bank of the river, as there is a low level beach extending to 
the point of the river where it enters a steep mountain cation. Where the trail leaves the river 
it is fordable in low water, and during high water it could be rafted. The trail on the right bank 
bends to the northwest, and does not strike the river again till it reaches Horse Plain. Travelling 
a distance of twenty miles, we passed in the Camash prairie Michelle Ogden, the gentleman 
in charge of Fort Conna, on the Flathead river, when we encamped for the night. Finding here 
some Indians, I secured one who could guide me to the forks of Clark’s fork. As I was informed 
here that it was impossible to reach the Kootenay river at this season on account of the great 
depth of the snow in the mountains, I concluded to go as far as the forks of the river, and then 
strike to the west and reach Camash prairie by a different route, unless I could find a guide 
at the Pend d’Oreille camp who would guaranty to guide me through to the Kootenay river. 
The Camash prairie referred to is nearly a circular prairie in the mountains, and perfectly 
level. The grass this season growing in it is exceedingly green and abundant. It is sheltered 
on every side by high hills and mountains, the soil is very fertile, and there is no better spot in 
