Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-03-16
vERENDRyE PLATE IS
SECURED As EXHIBIT
FOR STATES MUSEUM
Trophy of Early French Explor-
atoms Into South Dakota
Children Unearth It.

Pierre. S. D.. March 1~3.--Through
subscriptions by members of the HIS
torlca1 society, augmented by Iunds
Of the state department Of history. the
state museum has come into possession
OF he famous Verendrye plate. when
was unearthed on n high hill back OF
Fort Pierre in February. 1913, the plate
having been planted there by the Yer
endrye brothers in 1743.
on one side of the plate in five i'm
perfect lines are the following words.
roughly engraved:
Pose Par lie
Chevaly-et de Layr.
10 Jos Louy la Londette
A Mfotte
lie 80 de mars 1T43.
And on the reverse side of this tablet
appears the following:
Ammo XXVI Regni Ludovici XIV Prorege
Hlustressimon Domino Domino
Marchione
e B~eauharnois MXCCCXXNXl
Petrus Gaultier de L~averendrie Posvit.
The plate was found on the highest
hill back of Fort Pierre, IN an minenc
overlooking the sweep of the Missouri
river in its course for many miles, the
journal Of Verendrye. who traversed
The region from he wilds of western
Canada to this region, and further. In
the Interest Of France, before another
sbsHsk AhaN DSCil i'ASs psyo va N'H~
incident of placing the plate:
Il placed on an eminence near the
fort a tablet of lead. with the arms and
inscription OF the king. and a pyramid
OF stones for Monster lie General; I said
to the savages, who did not know OF
the tablet of lead that I had placed in
the earth, that I was placing these
stones as a memorial Of those who had
come to their country. l had very much
wished to take the altitude at this place
put our astrolobe had been out of serv-
ice since the beginning of our journey.
the ring being broken
During the session Of the legislature
OF 1918. on February l6, seven young
people of Fort Pierre We're playing on
the nil when one of the party kicked
against the projecting piece of the
Plate, dug it out, examined it. and
1nought 1T might be the lining Of a
stove. One OF the party had a knife
and offered to scrape off the dirt, and
qua so, and discovering the old date.
EVEN then the youngsters a no idea
or M value of their find, but finally
Went home with the plate, and when 1t
was cleaned and the inscription trans
iated into English, the excitement of
both towns, TT. Pierre and Pierre, was
very great over the finding Of the old
tabiet placed there so many years ago.
me translation of the plate in the
english from the French has been car
1Su ny various fFenCn professors.
and finally the matter was submitted
10 the French ambassador at Washing
ton, M. J%usserand. and it is agreed up
on to be:
Placed by the Chevalier de LvR.
Ga Verendrye), Lo Jos, Iouis Joseph,
MS brother), Louy La Loudette A..
Miotte (the two employes), tho 3oth
of March, 1743."
The Latin inscription is translated
to be:
In the 18th year of the reign of
Louis XIV. the most illustrious lord.
the Lord Marquis of B~eauharnois be-
ing viceroy, 1741, Peter Gaultier Gle
L~averendrye placed this"
In the seventh volume of the coIlec-
tons of the department of history is
contained an exhaustive paper Of the
vereldrye travels, the explorations and
discoveries, by Charles e. DeLand, a
V~erendrye calendar of events. by
'ooane Robinson, and the journals OF
ne Verendrye's themselves, translated
"om their original French journals by
.e department of history for this vol
me. and other interesting material
concerning their Journeys. the plant
Ing OF the plate In the name of France.