Sacagawea: Assisted the Lewis and Clark Expedition

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From this point on in the westward journey, Sacagawea was no doubt as unfamiliar with the geographic features as the others. She certainly was not someone who could guide them to the West coast. Still, her presence–and that of her baby–was important. Clark wrote in his journal entry for October 13, 1805, that Sacagawea reconsiles all the Indians, as to our friendly intentions–a woman with a party of men is a token of peace. Relations were friendly with the Nez Perce people. Starvation was no longer a concern, but after they had stuffed themselves on camas (a root the Nez Perces used to make bread) and salmon, indigestion and diarrhea were. Still, they were able to make new canoes and to gain information from the Nez Perces about the path, or rivers, ahead.

They drank from the Salmon, from the Snake and the Columbia rivers, built canoes that carried them down to the Columbia’s mouth, White wrote in her manuscript. On November 15, 1805, they saw the shine of the Pacific…after this the expedition raised the Stars and Stripes above the great Pacific Ocean.

In December, the Corps of Discovery built Fort Clatsop, near the mouth of the Columbia River, and settled in for a long winter. The 23 men, the usually drunk French-Canadian Charbonneau, Sacajawea and her son Pomp had a very hard winter there on the coast, White wrote. Food was scarce, and Sacajawea gave a starving and sick Clark some bread she had been carrying with her in a little leather pouch that had been intended for her child.

One day in January, Clark and some of the others, including Sacagawea, ventured from camp to check out a beached whale. The starving men came upon a beached whale and began to overeat, not realizing how the concentrated fats and oils would affect their bodies, White wrote. They became deathly ill. Years later, the men would tell the story of how they would have surely died had it not been for a little Indian girl who somehow miraculously was able to know what the dying men needed to recover. Sacajawea spent days upon end searching for and trying to grow and cultivate fennel roots,…a perennial herb of the carrot family…for its aromatic seeds. ‘Janey,’…as Clark called her, did indeed nurse the men back to health.

Not too long after that, another incident occurred that further showed Sacagawea’s affection for Captain Clark and the other explorers. At one of the Indian camps, Clark noticed an exquisitely made sea otter coat. He had to have it! White wrote. Most of his [Clark's] trading material brought along to barter with the Indian tribes for food…was gone now. Nevertheless, he lost his head and offered whatever they had left…to the Indian woman for the beautiful fur coat. He must have it…they must see it in St. Louis and the president of the United States [Jefferson] must see it.

Unfortunately, the Indian woman was not tempted to trade with Clark. He didn’t have anything that even interested her. She shook her head and made negative motions with her hand. The coat was not for sale. She walked away leaving a dejected and disappointed Clark, who went to his tent to lick his wounds. The next morning, as the camp and men were packing up…they noticed that Sacajawea was missing. Where was she? She was nowhere to be found. The men were concerned.

They were standing around discussing where to go to look for her when they saw her come over the hill from the Indian camp carrying something on her arm. She walked over to Clark and, smiling at him, handed him the beautiful sea otter coat….’Janey, how did you do it?’ [Clark asked her]….The little Indian girl didn’t say anything, just smiled back and turned and walked away to find her boy, Pomp….Clark noticed for the first time that the old brown buffalo robe that she wore was hanging loose on her where before it had been drawn tight around her waist with a beautiful beaded turquoise belt. A tear came down Clark’s face as he remembered how she had loved this belt and how he had given it to her when she was near death a few months earlier. Sacajawea looked back again at Clark before hoisting her son upon her back…

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Tags: Expeditions, Historical Discoveries, Historical Figures, Wild West, Women's History

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