Fort Mandan, North Dakota — Patrick Gass: November 22, 1804
The party traveled past timbered land on the south bank and high plains on the north. Around 3 o'clock they passed Cedar Island, one of the Three Sisters, where trader Mr. Lucelle had constructed a cedar fort—a roughly 65-foot picketed square with sentry boxes and an interior house divided into quarters for goods, trade, a hall, and family quarters. Two men rejoined the group with the horse, bringing a white wolf and deer they had killed. They passed more islands and an old Indian camp where they found dog poles, then camped on the north side.
saw some timber on the south side and high plains on the
north. About 3 o’clock we passed cedar island, one of the
Three Sisters, where Mr. Lucelle had built a fort of cedar.
The space picketed in is about 65 or 70 feet square, with sen-
try boxes in two of the angles. The pickets are 13 1-2 feet
above ground. In this square he built a house 45 1-2 by 32 1-2
feet, and divided it into four equal parts, one for goods,
one to trade in, one to be used as a common hall, and the
other for a family house. Here the two men came to us with
the horse. They had killed a white wolf and some deer. We
proceeded on, passed a creek, and islands of the Three Sis-
ters; and an old Indian camp, where we found some of their
dog poles, which answer for setting poles. The reason they
36 GASS’S JOURNAL OF THE
are called dog poles, is because the Indians fasten their dogs
to them, and make them draw them from one camp to another
loaded with skins and other articles.* We encamped on the
north side.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
We saw some timber on the south side and high plains on the north. About 3 o'clock we passed Cedar Island, one of the Three Sisters, where Mr. Lucelle had built a fort of cedar. The space fenced in with pickets is about 65 or 70 feet square, with sentry boxes in two of the corners. The pickets stand 13½ feet above the ground. Inside this square he built a house 45½ by 32½ feet, and divided it into four equal parts: one for goods, one to trade in, one to be used as a common hall, and the other for a family house. Here the two men came to us with the horse. They had killed a white wolf and some deer.
We continued on, passed a creek, and islands of the Three Sisters, and an old Indian camp, where we found some of their dog poles, which serve as setting poles. The reason they are called dog poles is because the Indians fasten their dogs to them, and make the dogs drag them from one camp to another loaded with skins and other articles. We camped on the north side.
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