Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-07-30

OA&4OS4
procession across the pages of
American frontier h history,
none has a greater appeal to
human interest than that pa
thetic figure, Sacajawea, the
Bird Woman, slave child-wlfe
of a dissolute French-C Canadian
trapper, whose services as
guide to the Lewis and Clark
expedition across the western
wilderness to the Pacific in
18O5-18O6 have caused her to
be idealized by artist and
sculptor, by poet, fiction writer
and historian.
Without her guidance and
assistance the expedition OF
Lewis and Clark probably
would have failed, for on sew
eral occasions she was the di-
rect means of overcoming
seemingly insurmountable OBJ
stacles. Her sacrifices were
many and the hardships she
endured, considering that she
was but Is years of age, seem
incredible. But, more than the
great service she performed, it
is the fineness of her character
and a loyalty and fidelity at
tested by every writer who
knew her and mentioned her
name, that have given her
place as the greatest heroine
of the American red races, and
that lend to her memory a
suggestion of the nobility of
soul of Joan of Arc.
Sacajawea was of the Shoshone tribe
and was born on the western slope OF
the Rocky mountains about 1870. In
her early girlhood. probably at the age
of II years, She was captured at Three
Fords, the source of the Missouri river.
by a Minnetaree chief. together with
another girl of about the same age, OF
ter Woman. The chief took his small
captives down the Missouri to the the
Minnetaree village in what is now Da-
kota. where he made them a part of
his family and treated them as he did
bis own daughters.
A young Mandan warrior, White
Grass, fell in love with Sacajawea, it
her for his wife had not her father
by adoption been reduced in wealth by
gambling. to a point where he staked
Sacajawea and Otter Woman in n game
with the French trapper. Charbonneau,
against a fine buffalo horse. and lost
the wager. Then the unfortunate girls
became the slave-wives of a drunken
and often brutal master. who refused
to sell Sacajawea on any terms to her
lover. The latter. being killed shortly
after in a fight between the Mandans
and the Arickarees. left her to a hope
less life of servitude and d%rudgery.
Coming of Lewis and Clark
Shortly after this last occurrence,
C~harbonneau started on q trapping ex-
petition, and when he returned to the
Mandan camp where he made his head
quarters. he found the Lewis and Clark
expedition at the Indian village on their
exploration expedition from st. Louis to
the Pacific which was to open to the
world the unknown half Of the northern
American continent. The explorers
we're in need of an interpreter, and
C~harbonneau was engaged to
the expedition.
Then engages Of the British North
western company, wishing to hinder
the American explorers, gave Char
bonneau a present of considerable
value AS a bribe to dissuade him from
joining Lewis and Clark. This, to-
gether with the fact that he had quar-
relied with ~Jessaume, another inter
prefer employed by the Americans and
also was not satisfied with the terms
upon which he had been engaged, near
to a decision to leave him behind. 1t
happened. however. that Clark had
talked with Sacajawea, and was 80 i'm
pressed with her knowledge Of the
passes across the Rockies that he felt
she must accompany them. He accord
ingly patched up the differences with
C~harbOnneau. Had it not been for this.
the latter would not have gone with
the expedition. At the time the cap
tains left the Mandans. Sacajawea was
carrying a young babe, the care of
which greatly added to her hardships
on the journey.
unusual young GlfI
Both Captains Lewis and Clark adj
mired the unusual qualities of mind
that the young Shoshone girl displayed,
as well as her willingness and patience
and her remarkable powers Of observa-
ton and memory. Often she rode in
the canoe of one or other of the cap
tains SITTER the expedition left the
Mandan villages, near where the town
of Bismarck. n. d.. stands today, the
date of their departure being April Z.
1906.
The flotilla of the exploration party
had not gone far before Sacajawea
performed her first signal service. She.
with her husband and young baby, had
been placed in a canoe with the scien-
tific instruments, records and medi-
cines. The frail craft caught in a rapid
and filled with water almost instantly.
The municipalities records of the
trip-fell overheard. ~Charbonneau,.
thinking only Of his W safety. aban-
doned his wife and child. but the Bird
Woman. with courage and appreciation
of the value of the papers, recovered
them and then was rescued with her
baby.
Her Counsel Sought
Trained after the custom of Indian