1853 Surveys; Transcontinental RR

Our Blog with A Little Bit of History

#32 Falls of the Spokane

We pick up with Stevens and his teams on October 16, 1853 as they are traveling through the Cœur d’ Aéne prairie. In his narrative,...

#31 The Coeur d’Alene Mission

General Report Plate # 35, Coeur d’Alene Mission St. Ignatius River by Stanley Del. Reading Isaac Stevens's reports are engaging because...

# 30 From the Mountains to the Mission.

October 9-12, 1853. Before breaking camp near the Bitter Root river, Stevens found that one of his best riding horses had died during...

#27 Conference with the Flatheads

The earlier editions of this series can be read on our website: www.thejamesmadisonmuseum.net. In the prior segment, Stevens’s narrative...

#28 Awaiting the Return of Mr. Tinkham

October 6, 1853. “Lieutenant Donelson moved off this morning on to the route of the Jocko river and Clark’s Fork. Mr. Lander, who had...

#29. From the Bitter Root River Heading to Fort Walla-Walla

I've been breaking up the series of the 1853 surveys and explorations to determine the most practicable route for the railway system,...

#26. Blackfoot Valley to Fort Owen.

Before rejoining Isaac Stevens’s narrative of 1853, I want to share a little information. The surveying team was about reach the...

#25. Fort Benton Toward the Bitteroot River

Fort Benton Toward the Bitteroot River On September 23, 1853 the surveying groups headed off in their separate directions. Lt. Saxton...

#24. The Council With the Blackfeet (continued)

While a number of Native Americans had been skirmishing with Americans, “the Blackfeet, had been conducting an unofficial war on...

# 23: Council With the Blackfeet

From the 7th through the 11th both Tinkham and Lt. Saxtons teams traversed, in different directions, over rather rough terrain with no...