Fort Union was begun in the fall of 1829; it is now completed except for the improvements of several buildings built in haste. It is located at a longitude of [——] and a latitude [——] on a rather elevated sandy bank on a rather extensive prairie, which stretches out to a chain of mountains, [really] hills, about 1 or 2 miles away. Scarcely more than 50 to 60 paces before the fort, the Missouri flows past from west to east. Before the fort it is wide and impressive, and on the [opposite] side, its bank [is] covered with forest; elk are numerous [there], although there are even more of them along the Yellowstone.

The fort itself is built in a square, the outer sides of which are 84 of my paces in length. On the southwest and northeast corners there are small blockhouses with pointed roofs on top. All the fencing consists of sturdy poles, placed close together, 15 to 16 feet high, over which small chevaux-de-frise have also been constructed to prevent climbing over. In the front section of the fence, directly facing the river, the main entrance has been constructed. Opposite the entrance, at the rear side of the courtyard, is the superintendent’s house, of one story with four glass windows on each side beside the door. There are more quarters in the attic. This house is quite nicely built, like all the other houses, of cottonwood lumber; no other building wood is available here. The other buildings are located all around the courtyard along the fencing of the fort in the following order:

This place is interesting because it also serves as a support post for the two trading posts constructed farther upstream in the direction of the Rocky Mountains: Fort Cass, 200 miles upstream on the Yellowstone, and Fort McKenzie, 650 miles upstream and about a day’s journey below the falls of the Missouri During the summer, keelboats—sturdy, covered, long boats with a small cabin in the rear are sent from Fort Union, with the goods needed for barter with the Indians, to the other posts located farther toward the mountains; [the boats] then stay there and bring the furs down the river in spring. The Indians arrive in fall and winter and bring their hides, but in spring they go away again to catch beaver. A goodly number of whites live here, most of whom have Indian wives. They are employed in the service of the Fur Company and from here are sent in all directions as far as the Rocky Mountains. In the fall Mr. Fontenelle’s party is also expected here.

The food available here includes the meat of buffalo, antelope, deer, and bighorn. All other articles come up the river from St. Louis. Garden produce does not thrive here, neither potatoes nor corn, for the region is too dry; it often does not rain for long periods of time. There are several kinds of berries and roots that are edible, that is, poires (Mespilus) and cherries (Prunus padus), which are preserved. Hunters on horseback are sent out for buffalo meat. [They] shoot ten to twelve or more buffalo, load the meat onto packhorses, and bring it to the fort. Buffalo tongues, large numbers of which are stored here, are excellent, and the marrowbones are considered a delicacy. The river provides good catfish. There is also milk. At present Mr. McKenzie owns six head of cattle; a bull and several cows are fine and well nourished. There are also pigs, chickens, and a male goat here. The fort has a considerable number of horses, as well as several mules. The most essential craftsmen here are blacksmiths, joiners, carpenters, tailors, [and] hat makers. People mostly make use of Indian moccasins, twelve pair of which cost one dollar, if the leather for them is provided. Most people dress partly in leather, which is a big saving for a hunter frequenting the forests. Other articles of clothing are expensive, since the company must charge much higher prices for its goods than the cost in settled regions because of the long and difficult transportation.

Usually a certain number of Assiniboines live near the fort [and] pitch their leather [tipis] there. Because of the lack of large animals, especially bison, [the Assiniboines] were now farther away, where we found the closest ones. During our hunting excursions, however, when the wind was blowing from the north, we heard noise and the barking of dogs in the distance, proof that some were staying there. The Assiniboines are genuine Dacotas, and that is what they call themselves as well. They separated from the Dacotas years ago, after a battle they fought with each other in the vicinity of Devil’s Lake, and moved more to the north. The borders that now designate their territory are from the Missouri to the Assiniboine River and westward to the Saskatchewan [River] and Lake Winnipeg and Milk River. They are also called Stone Indians, but actually this is just one of their bands. They are divided into several bands or tribes:

1. Gens des Filles (Itschíabine: ‘ne’ short and barely audible, ‘bine’ almost like ‘bi’)
2. Gens des Roches (Jatónabine: ‘Ja’ as in German, ‘bine’ as above)
3. Gens du Large (Otópachgnato: ‘ach’ and all the rest as in German)
4. Gens des Canots (Oatópabine: ‘bine’ as above)
5. Gens des Bois (Tschántoga: ‘án’ as in French, ‘o’ full quality, ‘ga’ short)
6. Gens de l’Age (Watópachnato: ‘nato’ short and soft)
7. Gens des Osayes (Taníntaüi)
8. Gens des Montagnes (Chäbin: ‘Ch’ velar, ‘bin’ as in German)

They live comfortably in leather huts and exclusively from hunting, since they never cultivate fields. All these northern Indians prepare their pemmican from meat and fat: dried, pulverized meat kneaded with a certain amount of animal fat or melted tallow. A nourishing, rather tasty but oft en malodorous food is made, which, however, is of great importance in those cold regions. They have few horses but very many dogs, which have to do the major work and greatly lighten chores for the women.

In external appearance they differ little from the Dacotas, but those we saw were not so slender or tall. Their faces were broader, with very high cheekbones and very wide jowl lobes. They did not wear their hair so long as the Dacotas; it scarcely hung over the shoulders, yet some of them had plaited two or three braids. The thick hair makes their heads look short and broad. Several wore round caps of whitish tanned leather or a narrow hide band around their heads. They paint their faces red or reddish brown and often also smear the hair this color on top and in front.

Most of them carried short guns of the kind the company sells them (at a price of 30 dollars). They decorate these guns with small red flaps and yellow nails, which they drive into the stock. They carry the ramrod beside them in their hands, a powder horn and hunting bag around their necks. The powder horn, studded with yellow nails and painted with some colorful stripes underneath, is sold to them. They carry the ammunition bag over their shoulder: it is quadrangular, [is] made of leather, and is often tied to the belt [and] decorated with fringes and small pieces of lead or colorful cloth and porcupine quills. In addition, all of them have bows and arrows—many just this weapon, if they have no guns.

[The] bow is partly covered with elk horn, spanned and wrapped in various places with animal sinews [and] often with colorful cloth, porcupine quills, and feather quills [as well]. Most of them also have a head breaker [war club]. One of them was carrying [a war club] made of ash and colored black. On the handle [was] a loop of hide decorated with all kinds of cloth and glass beads. Their leather jackets are decorated with big, round rosettes in vivid colors, usually one on the back and one on the chest; [there are] braids of human hair on the arms. The edge of the leggins [is] colorful, like those of the Dacotas and all the others, and decorated with braids of hair. In summer they usually go without leggins and other leather clothing, with completely bare feet and only a bison hide wrapped around them. [But] ”others the small objects spring up and fall back. One wins or loses depending upon whether they fall on one side together, and they often bet heavily. Their name for the game is uasíh-kutä́.”]

Essentially the language of the Assiniboines is completely that of the Dacotas, altered here and there by separation and time. Like the Dacotas, they have many velar and several nasal sounds, though [it is] generally a euphonious language.

[Also] like the Dacotas, they put their dead on scaff olds and trees. In the vicinity of Fort Union, about 300 to 400 paces from the fort, upstream along the riverbank, a forest begins in which one can see several dead bodies on trees, exactly in the manner of the Dacotas. Th ey are tightly wrapped in hides—an unpleasant way to dispose of such bodies! Here are twenty words used in this diary as language samples for all Indian nations:

Upon our arrival we had called on Mr. Hamilton, who has been living here, and we had investigated and inspected Fort Union rather thoroughly. We were given quarters in the superintendent’s house, and our baggage was brought there. However, today we still slept on the Assiniboine.