Volume 1

90 PARK RIVER EXAMINED.
found a wounded bull, which I killed to examine. The
wound was occasioned by a ball not many days past. Desmarais
said it had been done by an arrow. We tied our
horses at the entrance of this little [Park] river, and
searched for a proper spot to build, as I saw it was useless
for me to attempt going further. I was well assured the
Indians would not follow me. My men began to murmur
very much ; even Desmarais, who is a veteran, and one of
the first who ever came up this river, seriously advised me
to think about building. We went up [Park] river about a
killed one,
mile, when we fell in with two large harts ; we
and wounded the other, but did not go after him. Took
off the skin and cut up the meat ; the fat was four inches
thick upon the rump.
Being very thirsty, we attempted to
drink at the river, but found the water a perfect brine.
Having put our meat in safety for the night, and discovered
this salt-water [Park] river, which is the first I have
seen in this country, and on which I saw it would be
impossible to build, even were the woods proper, we
returned to our horses, and, as night was approaching,
deferred our search until to-morrow. The entrance of this
river is frequented by buffalo, red deer, moose, and bears ;
indeed, it appears that the higher we go, the more
numerous are red deer and bears. On the beach raccoon
tracks are plentiful. Wolves are numerous and insolent.
About dark the canoes arrived, the men fatigued and in
bad humor. They had again seen a wounded buffalo on the
E. side of Red river, and a bunch of leaves laid upon the
shore .where some person had drank. This had given them
E. township of this county. Two of the principal tributaries are South and
Middle forks ; a third is called Cart cr. ; this is joined by the N. fork ;
the
stream resulting from the confluence of Cart cr. with the Middle fork is joined
by the South fork, a short distance above Grafton, county seat of Walsh, which
is situated on the main Park r., about I2 m. in an air-line W. of Red r. In
coming to this place from Two Rivers, Henry has passed Pittsburgh and Drayton,
N. Dak., both on the river, and the latter on the N. P. R. R.; and has
passed successively opp. Mattson, Teien, and Robbin, Minn., but has not
come as far as opp. the mouth of Snake r., which runs in Marshall Co., Minn.