The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-10-06
over THE GREAT DIVIDE.
Dr.. Elliott Couss Lectures Before
the Unity Club on Lewis /.
and Clarke.
Their Famous Nxpedition Through
the Northwest Briefly and
Ably Told.
Some Of the Changes In the Names 81

Some Of the Chasgss In the Names 81
Streams From What tho D'soov.
sss Gave Them.
Dr.. Elliott Couss' lecture before the
Unity club last night was one Of the best
intsllsctusl I; eats that Helena has had In .
long time, and was listened to and enjoyed
BY 8 thoroughly apprsoiativo audience.
The subject Of the lecture was the sxpsdl-
sion Of Capt. Asrryweather Lewis and
Capt. William Clarke across the recently
purchased and then unknown country west
Of the Mississippi river. Speaking Of the
Louisiana purchase by President Jefferson.
D.. Couss said that "ons Of tho arandsst
men Of The country. BY . stroke OF dtpio-
macy that NO statesmen has since excellsd.
purchased from France; for less money
than IL now represented BY ths wealth Of
Helena. all that country west Of the Missis-
sippi." The lsctu or briefly skstched the
journey Of the famous expedition through
the county whore NO white man had ever
been, beginning at the start mp The Mis-
souri, river on May IA. 1904, 70 the portage
above the great Great falls. He brought
tho expedition to the Little PEiekly Rear.
to the Bear Tooth and 10 the Gate
OF tho Nountains. all landmarks we'll
known to Helena people. July ~,
he said should be q memorable day for
Helena, for on that day. in 1906, ths party
passed the Missouri river on the exact
parallel OF this city. Three days later
Capt. Clarke ascended An sminense not fas
from here and at one glance discovered the
three great rivsrs. the Jefferson. the Madi-
son, and the Gallatin. Tracing the sxpedt-
lion up the Jefferson and the Beaverhead
the lecturer said the descriptions furnished
of the trip by the leaders was so Aeon ate
that he could almost point ont the spots
whore they had camped. On the twelfth
day Of August, 1905, Lewis. with three Of
his men, stood on the summit OF the contl-
mental divide at the Lemhi PASS. and crossed
over whore tho stage coach now goes every
day. Dr.. Couss said that no part Of the
that the party went through Agency Can
Won after crossing the divide. They had
used the old Lemhi trail, and following tho
valley OF the Salmon river crossed over the
crest Of the Bitter Root range to a point
site Of Missoula. The lecturer said
. .n1ss across nS Idaho. Tho bes. was
that Cart. Clarke published in 1914. Down
the Clearwater to the Snake river. and to
the Columbia the party we're traced, and
coast at a point about ton miles from As
toria, Ore. From there the backward jour
ney was traced to the Lo Lo fork, which
they had named Travellers Rest. near Mis-
soula. There the party split. The doctor
first described tho journey OF Caps. Lewis
and his ten men through Lewis and Clarke
pass and to the former Damp OF the entire
party above tho great falls OF the Missouri.
Lsaving behind all but three mon the
captain explored the Narias, reaching the
highest point the party IL known to have
For the drss time they fell in with hcsti!es,
Capt. Lewis having invited eight Blaekfeet
to his camp. The Indians tried to murder
the little. party. Instead OF doina. so two
Indians we're killed and ell their horses
captured. Recognising the fact that these
s Ssas e OF Indians s%:'' H. Rs,' i 4. p l:,s;
made a forced march 100 miles across
county to near where Fort Benton now 10.
There they we're Joined BY the men they
had left at White Bear camp above the
gre sa falls 81. sp; e .SSa, Of have s1s b s:a's M. aa,::
river. a. Capt. Lewis had named 1t after a
Miss Maria Wood. of Virginia. a young
lady toward whom he entertained q tender
feeling. He died early and she married
someone else.
Capt. Clarks's "trip with the remainder OF
the expedition was then described. The
squaw belonging to the interpreter Of the
party had told him OF 4 better trail back
Than the one they had CROSSED by. They
took her advice and came back BY b ID
now known as Gibbons pass. On the tou'-
ney Capt. G arke struck the site of Ban
mack and later the locality Of Bozeman,
striking the Yellowstone at Livingston.
Before starting to descend the Yellowstone
he sent a sergeant and two men ahead with
the horses for Mandan. The Crows took
the horses away and the men hid to 60
md his men reached and passed the month
of the Y~ellowstone one day ahead
of Capt. Lewis and his party, leaving a
notice there stuck on a post. On Sept. ~.
1906, the entire party was reunited at the
Little Knife river. having made the Won
derful journey to the Pacific coast and back
without the loss of a single life.
One of the most interesting features of
the lecture was that part relating to shs
mining of the streams the party travelled
or crossed. Up to that time no white n a
Bismarck, and . very little ways 81 the COL
umbia. Nothing between these points had
been named till tho Lewis and Clarke exps-
dition went over tho county. Some Of the
names they gave have survived. Most Of
them have not. The Smith river
was named for Robert Smith. then
secretary Of the navy, and the
d a,born for Gen. Henry Dearborn, ssore.
tarv of war. What is now the Little
Prickiy Pear was called Ordway creek after
one Of the ssrQexnts Of the party. Some Of
the rail- DAD ties along this strenm, the leo
tursr said. are laid on the. footsteps OF
Capt. Clarke. who secuted along the banks
ahead Of the party. The present Big
Prickly Pear was called Potts creek, after
another sergeant. The Gates of the Noun.
tains the party named ~ II Is to-day. Six
teen Mile creek was named HowAld's creek.
The source of the names OF the three great
rivers which join and flow in the Missouri
at Three Forks are we'll known. What ID
now Willow creek was named Philosophy
river as the party ascended the Jefferson.
The present Big Hole river lhsy called
Wisdom sivsr. and what they called Phil
anthropy river is now the S~tinkinawater.
The idea Of L wis was that Wisdom, Phil
osophy and Philanthropy should unite in
Jetfe. son. The doctor was sorry the old