The earliest recorded expedition to pass through Foster County was in 1853. Governor Isaac Stevens was directed by the government to organize and lead an exploring party overland across this new territory to Washington State. He was to make a preliminary survey that could be used in laying out a course for the railroad to the west coast. A party of less than 100 men which included engineers, soldiers, necessary guides, teamsters, and helpers, started at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. They traveled northwest, crossing the Red River at Breckenridge and then traveled across the prairies to Lake Jessie in Griggs County. This lake was well known by the Indians and the whites. It was first named by Lt. Freeman in 1839 when he was with J.N. Nicollet on a trip that took them to the Devils Lake Regions.
On July 11, 1853 they arrived in Foster County passing south of McHenry and probably north of Juanita. Their guide was Pierre Bottineau. Mr. Bottineau, a Chippewa Indian, was born in 1812 and died in 1895. He had a very colorful career. In one story he was described in this manner: "It was Bottineau who walked from Winnipeg to St. Paul with James J. Hill. It was scout Bottineau who headed Jay Cooke's first Northern Pacific survey across the continent, it was the Chief Bottineau who gave his name to Bottineau County, it was the gambler Bottineau who had three queens in his hand, staked Nicollet Island, and lost."
Mr. Bottineau served as a guide for Stevens until they reached Fort Union. He shot and dried a buffalo just north of Grace City. Governor Stevens was amazed at the speed and dexterity of the men accomplishing this feat. Steven's comment about the area was that there was plenty of good water and grass, but very little wood.
The Steven's party made camp on the east side of Lake Juanita. While there he sent two men under leadership of A.W. Tinkham, a Civil Engineer, out to look for the headwaters of Bald Hill Creek. The men did not return. After a day's wait Stevens went on with most of the company leaving behind James Doty and a company of men with wagons with a small cannon. He gave orders that the cannon should be fired at certain times to guide the men. He thought that the men might have been attacked by Indians or that their horses had strayed. It turned out that it had just taken longer than estimated for them to carry out their mission. They continued on to join the rest of the company.
Source: A History of Foster County 1983 Page 23