The Dickinson press., 1907-11-09
g BIRD WOMAN :
State Of Wyoming Places
Monument Over Re.
mains Of Sacajawea


women of North Dakota are raising a.
fund for the purpose of erecting monu-i
ment to Sacajawea, the "bird woman"
who was the guide from this vicinity to
the Pacific coast of the Lewis & Clark
expedition in 1894. the proposal of the
state of Wyoming to build monument
on her grave is matter of interest here.
At the last session of the Wyoming
legislature bill was favorably consid-
cred providing for the erection of a
monument to cost no less than $500, on
the site of the burial place of Sacajawea,
the Shoshone squaw, who accompanied
the Lewis & Clark expedition and who
rendered invaluable service to the in
trepid explorers.
All that remains is to make certain of
the exact burial place of Sacajawea. 1t
seems to have been proven, however,
that the bird woman is buried not far
from Washakie, the present agency of
the Shoshone tribe, and there are several
old Indians who remember of Sacajawea
and who have pointed out the pile of
rocks that marks her last resting place.
Sacajawea was not buried on a scafold
but according to all the reliable testi-
mony that has been gathered the faithful
squaw was given Christian burial by
her husband, a French scout, and the
pile of rocks over her grave kept of the
coyotes and wolves that infested the
plains burying ground.
MONUMENT TO HER MEMORY
When the state of North Dakota hon.
ors Sacajawea, the bird woman will have
more monuments than have ever fallen
to the lot Of any squaw, not excepting
Pocahontas. When the Lewis & Clark
exposition was suggested, the part
played by Sacajawea in the overland
expedition of the white men aroused
keen interest among the women of the
United States. 1t was proposed by the
women of Oregon to erect some memo
rial to the only woman of that history.
making expedition, 50 Miss Alice Cooper,
a Denver sculptor, was commissioned to
evolve suitable monument. The young
sculptor evolved work that has been
pronounced a masterpiece and that
awakens the admiration of the thousands
of tourists who visit Portland. The
squaw, with papoose clinging at hel
back, is seen pointing at some distant
object-just as the Lewis and Clark jour.
nal describes the way in which she
pointed out many mountain pass that
made travel easy for the explorers
While the memorial at the squaw's grave
will not be SO costly'or imposing as the
Portland monument, it will at least afforc
an appropriate marking place for the
grave of this remarkable woman.
HER ROMANTIC CAREER
Sacajawea had most romantic ex
perience, which appears in fragmentar,
chapters of the journals of Lewis &
Clark. She was the wife of Chaboneau
who was picked up as Minataree in
terpreter when the expedition reached
that tribe. Sacajawea was Snake, o.
Shoshone Indian. She had been cap
tured by raiding Minatarees and hae
been sold as slave to Chaboneau, wht
brought her up and later married her
When the expedition left the Minnatar
ees Chaboneau and Sacajawea wer.
taken along. The captains were fearfu
at their reception at the hands of tn.
powerful Shoshones and desired som'
one to act as an interpreter when tht
tribe was reached. Sacajawea was taker
along for this purpose. She had give1
birth to child while the expedition wa
in the Minnataree stronghold, but will
customary Indian hardihood the yount
mother faced all the perils and hardship
of the journey.
Sacajaweais meeting with her owl
people is thus described in the journal
"On setting out at 7 o'clock Captain
Clark with Chaboneau and his wifi
walked on shore but they had not gon'
more than mile before the captain saw
Sacajawea, who was with her husband
100 yards ahead, begin to dance ane
show every mark of the most extrava
giant joy, turning around and pointing t
several Indians whom he now saw ad
vancing on horseback, sucking her fng
ers at the same time to show that the!
were of her native tribe. We soon drew
near the camp and just as we approached
a woman made her way past the crowt
to Sacajawea and, recognizing eacl
other, they embraced one another will
the most tender affection. The meeting
of these two young women had in i
something peculiarly touching, not onl!
in the ardent manner in which their feel
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