Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1905-03-17
Day to Honor Heroine.


and Order of Red Men day at the Lewis
and Clark Exposition. On this date
the bronze statue of Sacajawea will be
unveiled with formal ceremonies. The
Sacajawea Statue Association will share
the honors of the day with the Order
of Red Men in giving due recognition
to the neglected heroine. rhe exer-
cises will he attended by many noted
women who will come to attend the
National Woman's Suffrage convention
and the National Association of Chari-
ties and Corrections, which will be held
at that time. In order to participate in
the ceremonies, the Order of Red Men
changed their day at the Fair from
July 26. A feature of the exercises
will be the presence of several thou
sand school children each wearing a
button upon which is the likeness OF
Sacajawea.
For the purpose of honoring a ne
elected heroine the Sacajawea Statue
Association, composed of prominent
Oregon women, was formed some time
ago with Mrs. Eva Emery Dye as Presi-
dent. The Association has raised the
money for the erection of the statue
and chosen the design. The statue was
executed by Miss Alice Cooper of Den
yer, Colorado, and presents young
Indian woman with papoose strapped
to her back. The girl pointing toward
the distant sea, her face radiant and
head thrown back and eyes full of dar-
ing. A short hunting skirt, made of
deer skins, and .leggins. show figure
full Of the buoyancy and animation of
youth. The statue is composed of Or
egon copper and cost 81 900.
The entire sum necessary for the in
stallation of this memorial has not
been raised, but contributions are being
solicited from women all over the coun-
try, and it is expected that the total
amount will be subscribed to pay off all
Indebtedness by the time the statue is
unveiled. Western women have been
enthusiastic in lending their support
to this commendable movement. The
statue, which is the first ever erected
in honor OF au Indian woman, will oc-
cupy conspicuous position in the
center OF Columbia Court, the central
plaza of the Exposition, facing Lake
view Terrace, where are statues of
Lewis and Clark.
Sacajawea was an Indian girl, a mem
ber of the Shoshone tribe, who joined
the Lewis and Clark expedition, which
crossed the mountains to the Pacific u
century ago, while the party was in
midwinter quarters among the Mandan
Indians, in what is now North Dakota.
Sacaj jawea was then the mother Of
young babe. She was the only woman
on the expedition, and shared with tho
men the hardships of the toilsome
journey across the continent. She was
the friend Of Captains Clark and
Lewis and generally rode with them in
advance of the party, where her pres
ence served to allay the suspicious of
the tribes through whose country they
passed. On two occasions she saved
the lives of the party, pointing the road
when every one else was lost and starv-
alton was staring the little band in the
face.
Sacajawea accompanied the party
through its entire journeyings. Her
husband, Charbonneau, was taken along
to act as guide and interpreter. When
the expedition, on the return trip,
reached the country of the Mandans,
Charbonneau decided to stay there, and
his ever-fuithful wife remained with
him. 1t is presumed that she died
shortly afterwards.
1t may be safely said that if it had
not been for this Indian girl, Lewis
and Clark would probably never have
reached the Pacific. The women OF the
country deserve great credit for making
it possible for this heroine to share in
the honors of the explorers at the EN-
position commemorating the expedition
| of a century npO