Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1904-08-01

When Lewis and Clark left the Man.
dan villages and again began the as
cent of the Missouri, they embarked
upon mission of uncertainty and
hardship far exceeding that of the
previous year. It was fortunate that
the future could not be forseen. AS
the toll, dangers, obstacles, and delays
were successfully encountered they
were met with fortitude and overcome.
the explorers naturally, growing in
ability to meet them and with each
new experience becoming better able
to cope with them.
The party soon passed beyond the
highest point on the river previously
reached by white men. From the
Indians near Fort Mandan they had
obtained all the information possible
relative to the country which they
were now passing through, and as
they reached the upper sources of the
river near the mountains, the explorers
were surprised at the truthfulness and
accuracy Of that information.
From the time of leaving the Man.
dams until they met the Shoshone In
dams on the headwaters of the Colum-
bia river, more than four months later,
the party never saw an Indian.
Navigating the Missouri with home
made, so to speak, cottonwood canoes
was found to be somewhat difficult,
yet these unwieldly crafts answered
the purpose better than might have
been expected.
On the way up the river the party
had some adventures that served to
add variety and piquancy to their other
wise monotonous life. The adventure
with the buffalo, one night, has been
referred to. About midway between
Fort Mandan and the mouth of the
Mouse river, the men made the &C
quaintance of the grizzly bear, or, as
they called it, the white bear. Their
encounter with this now noted brute
constituted the discovery of Ursus. Hor
ribilis. Upon one occasion several Of
the men attacked one grizzly, but the
monster counter attacked, compelled
some of the men to seek refuge in the
willow thickets, while the others
throwing away their guns, jumped in
to the river, with the bear after them
The grizzly had nearly caught one Of
them when one of the hunters on the
bank luckily sent ball through the
bears skull and ended the battle. This
adventures of the men with the griz
zlies in the region from near the
mouth of the Yellowstone river tt
where the city of Great Falls nov
stands; form some of the most inter
esting episodes in the history of thu
explorations.
J The comments and suggestions O.
Lewis and Clark relative to the strate
gic Importance of the mouth Of thu
Yellowstone river commercially, from
the standpoint OF the fur trader-ant
i otherwise, prove their far-sightednes
and good Judgement. What they pro
phesied, or rather advised, soon CAM
to pass, and Fort Buford, which still
is an occupied military post at tina
point, Is the latest, perhaps will b.
the last, of several posts at and nea
+ the junction of the Yellowstone AM
Missouri rivers.
Early in June, 1905, the expedition
reached the mouth of the Marias river
Y but the discovery Of this stream threV
them into a state of. excitement an
uncertainty.
v The Indians had not mentioned th1
river and, being found at this partict
lar point, and being large stream,
formed perplexing problem. TIL
question was, was it the true Missouri
They devoted many days to careful
" exploring each river the Marias an
~ the southern branch, or the real COZ
81 tinuation Of the Missouri. ss Il
Lewis and Clark concluded that tn
southern stream was the main on
and after making 9 cache Of ration
B ana implements, on June 18th. th
81 party again set out and on the 1 1L''tl
II Lewis discovered the Great Falls {
. the Missouri and all doubts we're full
N dispelled.
q The explorers were profoundly in
pressed BY the falls and cascade Is
ID found at this point, and wen they ma
have been.
me sert coll ctively from on