Missouri River near Big Bend — Patrick Gass: September 22, 1804
Traveling along the Missouri River, the party observed timber on the south bank and high plains to the north. Around 3 p.m. they passed Cedar Island, one of the Three Sisters, where a trader named Lucelle had constructed a sizable cedar fort with picketed walls, sentry boxes, and an interior house divided into four rooms for trade, storage, a common hall, and a residence. Two men rejoined the group with a horse, a slain white wolf, and deer. They continued past a creek, more islands, and an abandoned Indian camp containing dog poles, then encamped 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 are 13 1/2 feet above ground. Inside 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 as 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 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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