Harney told the doctor to bring it back to life. The doctor took the dog in hand and applied all the known restoratives, but without success. After an hour of diligent effort he gave up the task. The Indians laughed boisterously. "White man's medicine too strong," they said.
Harney was satisfied that Fort Pierre was too far up river for the best location of a military post, and he set out to find a more suitable one. He spent several months in examining the river and finally decided upon Handys Point, midway between Sioux City and Fort Pierre, where he located and built Fort Randall, which was named for Captain Daniel Randall, former paymaster of the army. Fort Pierre was abandoned, most of the material being floated down the river to be used in the construction of the new fort.