[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] 2d In company with the Twelve & others I crossed to the river to visit the fort & those who inhabit it. We exhamined for St John which is now evacuated but the walls are standing. The dimen-ticns of St John are 144 by 132 outside. The inside of the fort contained 16 rooms, 7 rooms on the North west & 7 on the South east one on the South, the largest on the north 98 feet long 47 wide.
The Oregon trail runs one rod from the S.W. cornor of the fort.
We next visited Fort Larimie now occupied by 38 persons French mostly, who have Married the Sioux. Mr Burdow is the superinteder. This fort is 168 by 116 outside. Thire are 6 rooms upon two sides, & 3 rooms upon the north & 3 upon the south occupied by stores Blacksmith & dwellings. It is quite A plesant situation for A fort.
Mr Burdow was A Frenchman And a Gentleman. He recieved us kindly And invited us into A large setting room on the north side of the Fort elevated about 10 feet from the ground, A flight of stairs leading to it. Gave us any information He could in relation to our rout. Also furnished us with his flat boat on reasonable terms to assist us in fer-rying the Platt.
He informed us that Gov Boogs & his men had much to say against the mormons & Cautioned him to take care of his horses cattle &c lest we should steal them. [He tried to prej?]udice him against us all he could. He said that Boggs company was quarrelling all the time & most of the company had deserted him. He finally told Boggs & co that let the Mormons be as bad as they would they could not be any wors than He & his men were.
He Had A number of Soux women & Children around him while we were there. About 20 of the Sioux men, women & Children came with Peltry to the trading House. Provisions of All kinds were vary high & goods at the store flour 25 cts a pound tobacco $1.50 cts per lb. After conversing with him for a length of time we got into the flat boat about 20 of us & went down the Laramie fork to its mouth about 2 miles & up the platt half a mile to our camp.
After dinner we met in council & there decided that Ameza Lyman go to Pueblo with several other brethren to meet the detachment of the Battalion that was there for them to come As soon as Convenient to Laramie & follow our trail to Calafornia.
I finished the letters to send to Beven & Ferguson. I picked some greens & had a good dinner of them though I am not well to day.
[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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