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The First Survey Through Hal's Lake Swamp                                                                                                            Page 10

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        Wailes also wrote of his plan:

                as it is likely we should have less perplexity
                in ascertaining the dividing ridge between the
                waters of those two rivers in ascending than
                descending it, it will be advisable to
                commence the running of the ridge line at the
                lower extremity of the Chaktaw claim.

Preparation.  So the effort began that day, September 19, 1809:
"Accordingly, I set out this afternoon with my company in our boat
down the [Tombigbee] River".

        On September 20, 1809 Wailes arrived at St. Stephens in the
morning and met Mr. Dinsmoor, took on supplies, and headed down the
river to "Bilboe's Landing".59  Wailes had arranged to meet Silas
Dinsmoor at "Mr. Slade's", and arrived nearby at Wilson's landing
and camped in the afternoon of September 22.60  The next day,
Wailes sent an "express" [messenger] to Mr. Slade's, after learning
that Mr. Slade's was only two miles by land but ten miles by water
from where they were.  The messenger learned that Dinsmoor hadn't
arrived yet, so Wailes headed south to Carson's Ferry at the west
end of the cut-off,61  at Poll Bayou, arriving early in the
afternoon on Saturday, September 23.  Not finding Dinsmoor there,
Wailes went down to Fort Stoddart to get supplies, arriving late
at night, returning to Carson's Ferry on Sunday, September 23.62

"Final" Plan.  Dinsmoor and Wailes agreed to hire John Carson, the
cut-off ferryman, to go upriver and inland east "to the terminating
point of highland on the dividing ridge", where at prearranged
times he would "kindle fires, and raise smoke, from which we hope
to ascertain the nearest and most proper direction through the low
grounds north of the thoroughfare and between the two rivers. . ."
And, "in the meantime, we shall explore the thoroughfare and the
lakes which form communication between it and either of the
rivers",63 indicating that people in that area and period used
Hal's Lake to travel.

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        59Bilbo's Island is in Washington County (obviously on the west
side of the Tombigbee) jusrt northeast of Bate's Lake at the east
end of the road leaving Malcolm and heading northeast.  "Bilbo
Island" is formed by Bilbo Creek in the west, and the Tombigbee in
the east, and is the entire T3N, R1E,  §37.

        60p. 162.

        61p. 162.

        62Id.

        63Id. at 162-63.

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