[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] 12th A Cool morning. Mercury stands at 41. We had a strong S wind through the day. We travled 8 miles & nooned. We then travled 4 miles & camped for the night on the bank of the North fork of the Platt. I rode onto the Bluffs to take a survey of the Country which was about 3 miles from the river & we found both on the Hills & flatts through the days travel that we were traveling over the Soux Hunting ground.
There had been A large band from 500 to 1,000 we should Judge from there signs over the ground from 8 to 10 days before us. They took the brains out of the large Buffalos generally their Hides & some of the meet & broke up the bones for the marrow. 100 calves were found dead in one place with nothing taken but the tongues, legs to the knees & entrails. Another place 35 calves were found dead & washed in heaps whare the Buffalo had been Chased across the river & run over the calves in rising the bank of the river.
I found on the Bluff their medicine bag tied to a stick 6 feet long stuck up in the bank. It was what is called kinikinnick composed of tobacco & bark to smoke. I Also found a saddle tied to a large buffalo dung I supposed to show the next party which way the Buffalo had gone.
I left my horse in the valley to feed while I went onto a Bluff to see the country & He started off not seeing the camp took the back trail & I had to run After him & while following him I run through the great Soux encampment whare they had had there lodges while on their hunt. I left my gun there & followed my horse untill I overtook him with the Assistance of Br Fowler who came out from our encampment & stoped him.
I then rode back got my gun examined the ground & should judge their had been 400 lodges. There was Acres of ground covered with Buffalo wool whare they had dressed there skins. They left much stuff scattered over the ground such as peaces of dressed Buffalo & wolf skins mogascins &c. I brought in a good dressed white wolf skin. Distance of the day 12 rail.
I could see the Bluff between the forks of the river about 10 miles above us. The Bluffs that I passed over to day were more fertile & coverd with more grass than any I had seen on the Platt before.
A young Buffalo was killed & brought in in the evening.
[source: Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]
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