Wednesday, June 2
The morning pleasant. About nine o'clock started over the river in company with the Twelve and others to view the fort and also learn something in regard to our journey, etc. Elder Pratt measured the distance across the river at this spot and found it to be 108 yards. The water is deep in the channel and the current runs about four miles an hour. After crossing we went up to the remains of an old fort called Fort Platte which is near the banks of the river, the outside walls still standing, but the inside is in ruins, having been burned up. The walls are built of adobes or Spanish brick, being large pieces of tempered clay dried in the sun and apparently laid one on another without mortar or cement. The dimensions of this fort outside are 144 feet east to west, and from north to south 103 feet. There is a large door fronting to the south which has led to the dwellings which have been fourteen in number, built in the form of a parallelogram, leaving a large space in the center. The space occupied by the dwelling is not quite half of the whole fort. Fronting to the east is another large door which opens upon a large open space 98¾ feet by 47 feet where it is supposed they used to keep horses, etc. At the northwest corner is a tower projecting out from the line of the walls six feet each way, or, in other words it is twelve feet square with port holes for cannon. At the northeast corner has been another projection extending eastward 29½ feet and is 19½ feet wide. The walls are 11 feet high and 30 inches thick. We took the dimensions of this with a tape line and then proceeded to Fort Laramie about two miles farther west. This latter fort was first built of wood about thirteen years since, and named Fort William, but being destroyed was afterwards built seven years ago with adobes and named John. It stands on the bank of the Laramie fork. Laramie fork is a stream forty-one yards wide, a very swift current, but not deep. We tarried a little while with the Mississippi brethren who have camped close by the fort and then went inside. We were politely welcomed by Mr. Bordeau who appears to be the principal officer. He conducted us up a flight of stairs into a comfortable room and being furnished with seats, we rested ourselves. President Young and others entered into conversation with Mr. Bordeau. From him we learned that we cannot travel over four miles farther on the north side the Platte before we come to bluffs which cannot be crossed with loaded wagons. The road is better on this side than the one we have traveled, it being hard and not sandy. Feed scarce mostly lying in little patches near the river. They send their furs to Fort Pierre on the Missouri river a distance of 400 miles by land and receive all their stores and provisions back by the same teams, except their meat which they kill, there being buffalo within two days' drive. They have tried making a garden and planting corn which did well enough the first year, but afterwards they could raise nothing for want of rain. They have had no rain for two years until a few days ago. They have got a flat boat which will carry two wagons easily which we can have for fifteen dollars or he will ferry us over for $18.00 or 25c a wagon. From the door of this room one can see the same black hill seen on Sunday evening and which is Laramie Peak. We could see the snow lying on it very plainly. We can also see several ranges of high hills in the distance which are no doubt parts of the Black Hills. We went across the square to the trading house which lies on the north side of the western entrance. The trader opened his store and President Young entered into conversation with him. They trade solely with the Sioux. The Crows come here for nothing but to steal. A few weeks ago a party came down and stole twenty-five horses, all that they had at the fort, although they were within 300 yards of the fort at the time and a guard around them. The Sioux will not steal on their own land. A pair of moccasins are worth a dollar, a lariat a dollar, a pound of tobacco a dollar and a half, and a gallon of whiskey $32.00. They have no sugar, coffee or spices as their spring stores have not yet arrived. They have lately sent to Fort Pierre, 600 bales of robes with ten robes in each bale. Their wagons have been gone forty-five days, etc. The blacksmith shop lies on the south side of the western entrance. There are dwellings inside the fort beside that of Mr. Bordeau's. The south end is divided off and occupied for stables, etc. There are many souls at this fort, mostly French, half-breeds, and a few Sioux Indians. Elder Pratt measured the river and found it forty-one yards. He also took the latitude which was 42° 12' 13". Brother Bullock told me that several of the brethren had picked up a number of beads off the ant hills. Curiosity led me to go and examine and I found it even so. It appears that the ants gather all the small pebbles they can carry and build them over their hills to prevent the strong winds from blowing them away, and amongst the rest, they picked up beads which have been lost off the Indians' moccasins and robes, etc. I picked up quite a number. Brother Bullock and I took the dimensions of the fort which will be given in another place. We then got on board the boat and had a pleasant ride about three miles down the Laramie fork to its mouth, the current being very swift. At the mouth, the brethren mostly got on shore and towed the boat up to camp. After dinner I went over again in the cutter which was going to fish with the seine in the Laramie fork. They caught sixty or seventy small fish, salmon, suckers, etc. About six o'clock we returned to camp. The Twelve have decided that Amasa Lyman shall go with Brothers Woolsey, Tippets and Stevens to Pueblo. They start tomorrow. Longitude at Fort Laramie 104° 11' 53". I have seen three birds here which very much resemble the English magpie in size, shape and color, in fact I know of no difference between the two. We passed a number of currant bushes about four miles back, quite thick with young, green currants. On the morning of the 4th of June, I put up a guide board on the north side of the river at the ferry with the following inscription on it, viz. Winter Quarters 543¼ miles, junction of the forks 227½ miles. Ash Hollow 142¼ miles, Chimney Rock 70¼ miles, Scott's Bluffs 50½ miles. Wm. Clayton, June 4, 1847. Elder Pratt took the altitude of Fort Laramie and found it to be 4,090 feet above the level of the sea. Fremont makes 4,470, differing 380 feet.