Marie Dorion and The Astoria Expedition

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The expedition reached the Bighorn River probably north of present-day Worland. They followed it south to the Wind River, and proceeded up near its headwaters. There they crossed the Continental Divide at Union Pass, which separates the Wind River and Gros Ventre ranges. They sighted the Grand Tetons, calling them the Pilot Knobs. Union Pass had been recently discovered in 1807-1808 by John Colter, then an employee of Lisa and formerly with the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Colter was also the first white man to see Jackson Hole, Pierre Hole, the Teton Range and the Yellowstone Park area. The Grand Tetons and Pierre’s Hole received their present names in 1818-19 by a party of the Hudson’s Bay Company headed by Donald McKenzie. After passing through Teton Pass, Hunt’s party proceeded northwest to the abandoned Fort Henry, near present-day St. Anthony in southeastern Idaho. Their journey that far had been aided by the guidance of the three hunters Robinson, Hoback and Reznor.

At that point, along the headwaters of the Snake River, Hunt made a nearly fatal error of judgment. He abandoned his horses and constructed 15 dugout canoes. Since the Snake was a contributory of the Columbia River, Hunt assumed that the remaining 1,000 miles could be made by water. They soon found out differently. At Fort Henry, the party divided. Some men, including the three new hunters, were dispatched on trapping expeditions, to make their separate way to Oregon.

After leaving Fort Henry on October 18, 1811, the rest of the Hunt party soon encountered a series of rapids, where portages had to be made along high bluffs. While attempting to run one set of rapids on October 28, about 340 miles below Henry’s Fort, a canoe wrecked and one man drowned. After some of the men scouted the river ahead, they were forced to recognize the futility of trying to travel by water. The river was declared unnavigable.

Now without horses, it became necessary to cache a large part of their supplies and continue on foot. To increase the chance of obtaining game to supplement their meager supply of food, the party again split, with half traveling on each side of the river. One party of 18 men, under Ramsey Crooks, walked along the south bank of the barren, rocky Snake River. Another 18 led by Hunt, including the Dorion family, stayed on the north side. A third small group, giving up, left to retrace their steps.

Upon encountering a small Indian band on November 17, Hunt succeeded in buying a horse to use as a pack horse. Two days later, he obtained a second horse for his personal use. At the next Indian camp that they stumbled on, an Indian claimed that Hunt’s second horse had been stolen from him. Hunt was forced to give it up, but he was able to buy two others.

Pierre Dorion was also able to buy a horse for his family, so that Marie and the two children were again able to ride. They had been walking since leaving the canoes. Since the children were presumably ages 2 and 4, Marie must have carried the younger one on her back most of the time, even though she was by then eight months pregnant.

Near the end of November, Hunt’s party was forced to start killing their few horses for food. Dorion resisted all efforts to kill his horse, even though it was almost starved. Having been away from the river for some time, they did not reestablish communication with Crooks until early December. Finding Crooks’ party in worse physical condition for lack of food, Hunt was forced to spend much time and effort getting some horse meat across the river.

Twice in November and December they had to stay in Shoshone Indian camps for a short time because of the heavy snow and their lack of food. One time, they came upon a Shoshone camp that had a small herd of horses. The temptation was too great. They scared the Indians away and seized five mounts.

Marie Dorion’s third child was born on December 30, 1811, but the baby died about eight days later. Apparently, Hunt’s concern for Marie’s welfare was not comparable to the concern Sacagawea had received from Lewis and Clark, for Marie gave birth to the child alone and caught up with the party the next day. It was another five weeks before Hunt’s party struggled into Astoria on February 15, 1812. A party of hunters under Mackenzie, one of the partners who had separated at Fort Henry, had arrived a month earlier.

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Tags: Adventurers & Trail Blazers, Expeditions, People, The Wild West, Wild West, Women's History

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