The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 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 13.-Through
subscriptions by members OF the HIS
| torical society, augmented by funds
Of the state department Of history, the
state museum has come into possession
of the famous Verendrye plate, which
was unearthed on a 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 fines are the following words,
roughly engraved:
Pose Par LIE
Chevaly-et de Layr.
10 Jos Louy la Londette
A Miotte
lie 80 de mars 1743.
And on the reverse side of this tablet
appears the following:
Ammo XVI Regni Ludovici XIV Prorege
Illustressimon Domino Domino
Marchione
Beauharnois MXCCCxxxX1
Petrus Gaultier de Laverendrie Posvit.
The plate was found on the highest
hill back of Fort Pierre, on an emlnence
overlooking the sweep Of the Missouri
river in it's course for many miles, the
journal of Verendrye, who traversed
the region from the wilds OF western
Canada to this region, and further, In
the interest of France, before another
white man had been here, says of the
incident of placing the plate:
I placed on an eminence near the
fort tablet Of lead, with the arms and
Inscription OF the king, and a pyramid
OF stones for Monster lie General; said
to the savages, who did not know OF
the tablet of lead that had placed in
the earth, that I was placing these
stones as a memorial of those who had
come to their country. I had very much
W 20 lyz 81 a. III 10
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 1913, on February 16, seven young
people or Fort Pierre were playing on
the hill when one Of the party kicked
against the projecting piece of the
plate, dug 1t out, examined 1t, and
thought 1t might be the lining of a
stove. One of the party had a knife
ana oHered to scrape off the dirt and
d1d so, and discovering the old date.
Even then the youngsters had no idea
or the value of their find, but finally
went home with the plate, and when It
was cleaned and the inscription trans
lated into English, the excitement Of
Doth towns, FIT. Pierre and Pierre, was
very great over the finding of the old
tablet placed there so many years ago.
The translation Of the plate in the
Shol LLOLu Tie rEeIlCn mas DSen car
ried on by various French professors.
and finally the matter was submitted
to the French ambassador at Washing
ton, M. Jusserand, and it is agreed up
on to be:
placed by the Chevalier de LvR,
(La Verendrye), 10 Jos, Gouis Joseph,
his brother), Louy La Loudette A.
Miotte (the two employes), the 30th
of March, 1743"
The Latin inscription is translated
to be:
I'm the 26th year of the reign Of
Louis XIV. the most illustrious lord,
the Lord Marquis of Beauharnois be-
ing viceroy, 1741, Peter Gaultier de
Laverendrye placed this"
In the seventh volume Of the collec-
tions Of the department Of history Is
contained an exhaustive paper of the
Verendrye travels. the explorations and
discoveries, by Charles e. DeLand, a
Verendrye calendar of events, by
Doane Robinson, and the journals Of
ne Verendrye's themselves, translated
rom their original French journals by
ie 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