Today in History:

319 Series I Volume L-I Serial 105 - Pacific Part I

Page 319 Chapter LXII. EXPEDITION TO SOUTHEASTERN OREGON.

right of the trail, owing to the exhausted state of the animals, I remained in camp on the 22d, and sent out scouts in several directions, who, returning at night, reported no Indioan signs. The character of the country does not change from the camp of the 22nd to this place, where I arrived on the morning of the 25th about 10 a. m. This creek, which I named Gibbs' Creek, in honor of his excellency Governor Gibbs, is a small creek which, wandering through trap-rock canons a distance of about thirty miles from its head spring to the southwest, falls into the Owyhee about five miles below the mouth of Jordan Creek. As I found good grass and water here I halted, and sent Captain Rinehart with twenty men back to the camp of Captain Barry, at mouth of Owyhee, with orders for Barry to come on. While awaiting the arrival of the transportation and infantry I made two scouts with small parties, one to the west as far as the foot of a snow range of mountains, the same that affords (I am told) a large portion of the waters of Malheur Lake; found a beautiful valley, but no Indian signs. The other up Jordan Creek, during which I succeeded in surprising a small party of six Indians and killed five. There were no women or children in camp. Some hours after this affair a lone Indian was discovered in the sage brush about half a mile from the road. I sent Indians in chase. After a two miles' run they caught and shot him, making six killed in all. Captain Barry, with the infantry and Captain Rinehart's detachment, arrived on the 6th with the pack-mules. The wagons will cross Snake River on the Jordan Creek road and follow the wagon road used by miners from Boise City to the mines, and thence to this place. I will start for Harney Lake as soon as the wagons arrive here, which will be about the 12th instant. I have just heard of a party of sixty or seventy Indians on Jordan Creek. Will start in about three hours with four days' cooked rations and find out more definitely their business.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

GEO. B. CURREY,

Captain, First Oregon Cavalry, Commanding Expedition.

ACTING ASSISTANT ADJUTANT-GENERAL,

Headquarters District of Oregon, Fort Vancouver, Wash. Ter.

HDQRS. EXPEDITION INTO THE INDIAN COUNTRY, Camp No. 46, on Rattlesnake Creek, at the Northeast side of Harney Lake Valley, July 2, 1864.

SIR: I have the honor to report that since my last, dated 100 miles above the mouth of Owyhee River, June 8, 1864, I made the scout up Jordan Creek as contemplated at that writing, but after scouting the entire valley of Jordan Creek to within eight miles of Wagon Town, a mining camp on that stream, and to the south and east of that stream to and along the waters of Sucker Creek, a small stream that feeds the lake, marked on the maps furnished from your office, named Lake Ella, I could get no traces of the supposed band of Indians. On the 12th of June I arrived at Camp Henderson, the place I started from. On the 10th I sent Lieutenant Currey and fifteen men of Company E from my camp on Jordan Creek to meet the wagon train the wagon train then en route along the road from Fort Boise to Wagon Town. On the 14th I ordered Captain Rinehart to take his company and examine the country up the Owyhee River, taking with three days' rations. For further particulars and description of country traversed, please see copy of his


Page 319 Chapter LXII. EXPEDITION TO SOUTHEASTERN OREGON.