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.