October 9, 1833
Freezing and hoarfrost during the night. Morning very bright and clear. At eight thirty, 40°F [4.4°C]. The fort’s thermometer [registered] 39 1/2°F [4.2°C]. Dreidoppel went after a wolf early, the animal leading him far away. Another wolf came as close as 50 feet to the back gate of the fort, where clerk Moncravie killed it. It was a female gray wolf, very pale, and weighed [——] pounds ? not very big. The fort’s dogs howled so loudly during the night that we could hardly sleep.
Dreidoppel had seen a large flock of prairie hens. When he got outside again later on, he saw nine antelope moving away along the hills. The day was dry, cool, and windy. Deschamps rode after the antelope but could not get a shot at them. Mr. Bodmer drew a picture of the little girl of a Siksika who stays here and always lives with the Assiniboines. The name of the man is [——].
Dreidoppel went onto the prairie and shot a young prairie hen (Tetrao phasianellus). He had found a large flock of them. However, they were very shy. Afternoon bright, cool, slightly windy. Moncravie brought me dry plants of the genuine snakeroot, famous for its use against the bite of poisonous snakes. The root is long and blackish and also blackish gray inside, or blackish blue. The plant has a seedpod like a sunflower [and] seems to be yellow [and] from the Syngenesia. The leaves are lance-shaped, coarse, [and] covered with small bristles; the scapus consists of one flower, upright, straight, and about a foot high. The root has a very hot taste. This plant grows all along the upper Missouri and is not uncommon on the prairie hills near Fort Union—the same as in all flat prairies.
