[308] The foot of the Blackfoot forks is the mouth of Big Blackfoot River, which rises in the main range of the Rockies and flows west for about seventy-five miles into Hellgate River, about five miles above the gorge called by that name. Up this stream is the “road that leads to the buffalo,” going over Lewis and Clark Pass—the route which Captain Lewis took on his return journey in 1806.—Ed.
[309] Leaving to the left the Big Blackfoot River, and its easy pass across the mountains, De Smet continued up Hellgate River and its upper waters, Deer Lodge River (called by him Cart River). See our volume xxvii, p. 253, note 130, which describes the journey made by De Smet in 1841.—Ed.
[310] No stream named “Arrowstone” is now charted. De Smet passed from the waters of the Columbia to those of the Missouri, by one of the numerous low and easy gaps between Mullen’s on the north and Deer Lodge on the south. Probably the party went over Cottonwood (or Peterson) Pass, leading from Deer Lodge County into Jefferson, coming out upon Boulder River, which empties into the Jefferson at Jefferson Island; or else they followed the Silverbow route past the present Butte, and proceeded by Big Pipestone Creek to the Jefferson—a route now used by the Montana railways. All these were well-worn Indian trails.—Ed.
[311] For a brief description of the Three Forks of the Missouri see our volume xxiii, p. 138, note 114.—Ed.
[312] See De Smet’s description of this route on his previous journey (1841), in his Letters, our volume xxvii, p. 177, note 50.—Ed.
[313] For the Wind River Mountains see our volume xxi, p. 134, note 35.—Ed.
[314] The route lay almost directly north from the Yellowstone, along the valley of what is now Shield’s River (named by Lewis and Clark for one of their party), toward the sources of the Musselshell, the largest—with the exception of the Yellowstone—southern tributary of the Missouri. See our volume xxiii, p. 58, note 33.—Ed.
[315] Probably the Elk Mountains, lying between the two forks of the Musselshell in Meagher County, Montana.—Ed.
[316] For the previous relations of De Smet with this chief see his Letters in our volume xxvii, pp. 317, 352.—Ed.
[317] For the Piegan, one division of the Blackfeet, see Maximilian’s Travels in our volume xxiii, pp. 95-97.—Ed.