April 29, 1834
Rain in the morning; [the weather became] warm and pleasant, but the wind
[was] very strong out of the northwest hora 11. At seven thirty, 62°F [16.7°C]. A troop of men, with them the Arikara interpreter Lachapelle, got ready for their trip to the Mandan villages to fetch corn. After nine o’clock they loaded our baggage on the boat. Two wagons pulled by oxen moved the crates and boxes. It was very warm wherever the storm did not reach. The bushes [everywhere] were already more than half green. Most plants were budding. The garden beside the fort was just being prepared. We checked the oscillations of the magnetic needle according to Mr. Chardon’s watch with the following results:
At 11 o’clock. First observation: 10 minutes, 135 oscillations.
Second observation: 5 minutes, 70 1/2 oscillations.
Third observation: 10 minutes, 136 oscillations.
Fourth observation: 5 minutes, 70 1/2 oscillations.
During the first oscillations, the needle hit the right peg. The first part of the oscillations is stronger and faster than the last, therefore the last would have had fewer oscillations in five minutes.
It is to be noted, furthermore, that Fort Pierre is located two and three-quarter miles northwest of the mouth of the Teton River [Bad River]. At twelve o’clock the observation was closed.
I received a piece of scree from the White River, which seems to be carneol.
Storm at noon. At twelve o’clock, 67°F [19.4°C]. At five thirty the wind had abated, [and] we got ready for [our] departure. Mr. Laidlaw had given me a good, capable man, Dauphin from Carondelet, who could also serve better as helmsman than Fecteau. A certain Descoteaux asked for passage to St. Louis; in return, he wanted to row. He had about 120 beaver pelts that he wanted to sell downriver. Besides the people mentioned [here], I took along a young person [who was] ill, so that we were ten persons aboard. We took leave forever from the inhabitants of the fort. Mr. Laidlaw accompanied us to the river. The evening was very nice, and we glided rapidly down[stream]. Soon we passed the mouth of the Teton River [Bad River], where Messrs. Sublette and Campbell—the competition of the American Fur Company—have built a fort. A brother of Mr. Sublette lived here; we could not put ashore. We landed on the right bank for the night about 6 miles below Fort Pierre.