Glacier County chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1931-1940, 1940-07-26
By WALTER E. TAYLOR

Among the thousands Of visitors
uho went down to New Mexico re-
Gently to see the opening Of the
southwest's celebration of the an
niyersary of the coming of the
spanish Coronado expedition 400
years ago this year was the grand
laughter of the famed woman
uide of another celebrated Ameri-
ran expedition. She is Mrs. Laura
RutIedge of st. Louis, Mo-, and
her grandmother was Sacajawea,
The Shoshone Indian woman who
guided Lewis and Clark on their
The Pacific coast and return in
| lSOi-O5. She Is one of several Of
SAGA jawea's grandchildren still liv-
ing in st. Louis.
While in New Mexico, Mrs. Rutledge
ave several interviews to newspaper
kporters. She said. among. other
Eings. that she hoped the historians
{scords of Coronado and his activities
[rre more accurate than what his
krians generally have had to say about
Ia famous grandmother and her
randfather, TouSsaint Charboneau.
fae error most irksome to Mrs. Rut-
Idge is the often repeated statement
Ia her grandfather died somewhere
! the northwestern wilderness and
Eat the location of his grave is not
nown.
That's not So" says Mrs. Rutledge,
.or know that he died in Richmond,
Eashington county, Missouri. He is
+rjed in the little Catholic cemetery
4 that community and the record of
/ death and burial is in the parish
1 uokS there"
| Another error which bothers Mrs
frtledge is the story that SaCajawea
Ia in 1872 when she was IS years old.
Fnis Is not true, she says, for there Is
Ircord that Sacajawea lived to be
&s7rIv 100 years old and that she
Ia not die until 1884 Mrs. Rutledge
| backed up in this contention by DR..
35race Raymond Hebard; the noted
fyouIg historian. who has probably
+one more research on the life OF
Eaca iawea than any other writer: DR..
Esbard has produced pretty definite
ksidence that Sacajawea died on the
Fnd River Indian reservation.
Although Mrs. Rutledge would prob
. hly be the last person to admit IT,
| was really her grandfather, Char
kneau. who caused all the confusion
kearding the life of Sacajawea after
.e close of the Lewis and Clark eX-
{tdition. History says that shortly after
I.e close of the expedition SAGA iaTea
Itt Charboneau for one reason or an
|Eher. Charboneau acquired another
tsdian wife and often introduced her
{ the woman who had led the Lewis
| I'd Clark party, and when the second
Edian woman died Of fever in 1872
ANY believed 1t was Sacajawea who
I'd died.
Other Reliable Evidence
Aside from the burial records pro-
heed by DR.. Hebard, there is other
liable evidence to prove that SAGA
.svea lived long after 1912. William
lark contacted Sacajawea long after
hat date in matters regarding the
tucation of the boy who had as a
.aby accompanied her on the eXpedl-
bon 70 the Pacific coast.
| The granddaughter of SaCaJaWea IS
spry and active woman despite her
d years. She scarcely remembers louS-
hint Charboneau. her grandfather, 1or
I died in 1866 when she was only !; 5
sars old, but she received a wealth
memories OF him from her oldeF
EutherS and sisters.
4 was No. IS in family OF III
hrs and 7 girls" says Mrs. Rutledge.
|The older members of the family used
i tell me how they often spent winter
Fenings gathered about the. fire TO
bar grandfather tell of his adventures
nth Lewis and Clark. Grandfather was
French Canadian and he spent most
! his life trapping and trading among
BE Indians of the northwest. up near
be Canadian line he was living with
be Indian tribe that captured SAGA
ewea from the Shoshones. The IN
hns were going to torture SAGA jawea
rd grandfather argued and protested
Et they were determined to kill the
hptive until he offered them spotted
eny in payment for her. The indians
bid Sacajawea for a spotted pony and
fandfather married her. SAGA 1awea
as about IA or IS years old at that
ne."
Spoke II Indian Dialects
Mrs. Rutledge says her grandfather
s hired as guide for the Lewis and