The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1936-05-29
SACAJAWEA, the Famous Sho-
shone Indian Bird Woman" Guide
of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.


Having made all arrangements, we left
the fort about o'clock in the after
noon :. The two. interpreters were
boneau. The wife Of Charboneau &C
companied us with her young child, and
we hope she may be useful as an in
terpreter among the Snake Indians.
She was herself one of that tribe, but
having been taken in war by the Min
netarees, she was sold to Charboneau,
who her up and Later married led
last statement, for Charboneau had
certainly not brought her up" Char
boneau was certainly not the type, the
magnanimous adopter of young Irdian
maidens. Sacajawea had been married
for year when Charboneau bought
her.
So Sacajawea stepped into the spot
when she started up the Missouri river
with Lewis and Clark. Her husband,
Charboneau, and George Drewyer were
nominally interpreters and guides, but
Sacajawea soon superseded Ehem in
that position. She became the guiding
spirit So Of the party; In her arms 1 she
tiste.
A large measure of the honor for the ]
success of the Lewis and Clark eXpedi- |
ton should be given Sacajawea. She
made herself indispensable. In. numer-
GUS mentions in the journals Lewis and
CLARK srst W0 Nth a uai1a f9fss %a
IA, 1905: 1.-THE Indian woman. to whom
ascribe equal fortitude and resolu-
ton with any person on board, caught
and preserved most of the articles
which were washed overheard" He
was referring to an incident in which
hi %
ship water and Sacajawea, papoose on
her back, had stood waist deep in water
rescuing valuable utensils and food
StuffS. This was only the beginning OF
long series of events in which the
Indian woman proved her fortttude.
She schooled other members of the
c gaGy an Ind dar oTG ORR She hnsa s
berries. Her fellow travellers realized
her worth and the leaders honored her
by naming a tributary Of the Mnssel-
shell river Sacajawea river in her non
or. This creek has since come to be
named Crooked creek.
Those first months of the expedition
were happy ones for the young indian
woman for she loved travel, no matter
the direction, and, too, she was return
ing to the west, to the land and the
valley of her birth. Seldom did the
members Of the party call her By: the
name Of sacajawea. In writing about
own bad spelling as "the squar;;'" Cap.
tain Lewis wrote her into his journal
as "the Indian woman" I'm speaking
to her they called her "Janey." Char
boneau called her always, simply my
woman"
Finally the land of the shoshones and
the Lemhi valley were reached and
Sa SfoI rrrif fys31N
and her relatives In the journals Lewis
and Clark described the touching scene
when Sacajawea first recognized girl
friend of her childhood. Later she
found her brother and other relatives.
With the aid Of Sacajawea the expedi-
ton obtained many horses from the
shoshones and continued On to the
ocean; then east again to what Is now
North Dakota At the confluence Of the
Knife river and the Yellowstone, Char
boneau and Sacajawea left the party.
It was a sad parting for all concerned.
They had been comrades all on the
big adventure. Writing of the separa-
ton, Clark said: This man hos been
very serviceable to us, and his wife was
particularly useful among the Sho-
ShoneS. Indeed, she has born with pa
thence truly admirable the fatigues of
SO long 9 route, encountered with the
charge OF an infant, who is even now
only 10 months old. She was very OBJ
servant. She had good memory, re-
membering locations not seen since her
childhood. In trouble she was full Of
resources, plucky and determined. With
her helpless infant she rode with the
men, guiding us unerringly through
mountain passes and lonely places I.
Intelligent. cheerful, resourceful. tire
less, faithful, she inspired us all. We
therefore paid Charboneau his wages,
amounting to $50033. including the
price Of horse and lodge purchased
from him." Charboneau got $500.33,
Sacajawea got nothing.
Sacajawea had her brief moment Of
triumph as leader Of the successful
Lewis and Clark expedition, then she
dropped out Of sight. Little Is known Of
her life after that day when she stood