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Sacajawea, known as the Shoshone Bird Woman, directs the Lewis and Clark expedition over the perilous passes to safety, succeeding in persuading the rest of her tribe to overcome suspicion and hostility.
Sacajawea was born to a Shoshone tribe in what was then Idaho territory, in the Lemhi Valley. She was kidnapped at a young age by the Hidatsas and taken east to the Great Plains. By either trade or gambling, Charbonneau "acquired" her.
Lewis and Clark first met Sacajawea in November, 1804 when making winter camp with the Mandan Indians in North Dakota. She was married to the French-Canadian fur trapper and interpreter Toussaint Charbonneau, who would be the expedition's interpreter. Charbonneau didn't have a good reputation, but they took a chance on him because of the possible usefulness of Sacajawea. Lewis and Clark thought they would be in a position of needing to purchase horses from the Shoshone and thought Sacajawea might help them in the bargain.
She was pregnant when she arrived in camp. She was just sixteen years old when she gave birth to Jean Baptiste just before the expedition left in the spring. The expedition set out from Fort Mandan in April, 1805. Sacajawea proves her usefulness right away by collecting native plants to supplement their boring diet. A month into the journey, Sacajawea rescues some valuable supplies from the river when one of the boats almost capsized. And when they reached the Shoshone to bargain for horses, she acted as interpreter, resulting in a successful deal.
Her role on the Lewis and Clark Expedition has long been assumed to be that of guide and ambassador. But it was even more important than that. Her very presence had a calming effect on the Indians; it was long tradition with native tribes that a woman with a child did not accompany a war party. The natives on the river route of the Columbia and Snake were apprehensive of the white men until they saw Sacajawea and her baby. Therefore, they realized the Lewis and Clark group must be peaceful. This fact left the expedition unmolested by the Indians and even helped by them in some cases.
After the expedition was over, Charbonneau, Sacajawea, and Jean Baptiste sailed down the Missouri to St. Louis to meet Clark. They lived there a short time until Charbonneau became restless. They later joined the Manuel Lisa fir trading party. Charbonneau went was far as Mandan country where the new Ft. Manuel would be built on the border of North and South Dakota. Sacajawea was with him.
Stories disagree about Sacajawea's death and how old she was. Luttig, the clerk at the new fort, records her death on December 20, 1812 of "a putrid fever." He also recorded an infant girl left behind. When the fort was abandoned, Luttig took the girl Lizette back to St. Louis. He applied to be guardian for her and Jean Baptiste but court records have his name crossed out and Clark's written in. Despite what Luttig recorded, Shoshone oral tradition says she came back years later to the reservation and that she supposedly died on April 9, 1884. She had supposedly encouraged the Indians to adopt white ways and learn to farm.
In any case, what the Shoshone believe to be her remains are buried at the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. A stone was erected there in 1963 by the Wyoming branch of the Daughters of the American Revolution, which reads "Died April 4, 1884."
Sacajawea has more monuments, schools, and buildings named in her honor than any other American woman.
The Sacagawea Golden Dollar
The first new coin of the millennium
Source: The U.S. Mint
The Sacagawea Golden Dollar coins debuted in January 2000. The new dollar coin replaced the Susan B. Anthony (SBA) dollar coin, which had circulated since 1979. Because demand had increased for a dollar coin in commerce, the government's supply of SBA dollars was nearly exhausted, creating a need for a new dollar coin that would be easily distinguishable from other change.
The United States Dollar Coin Act of 1997 required the Treasury Department to place into circulation a new dollar coin similar in size to the Susan B. Anthony dollar coin, golden in color with a distinctive edge. The law required the Treasury Secretary, in consultation with Congress, to select the designs for both sides of the new coin, although the design on the tails (reverse) side is required under the statute to depict an eagle.
Is It Really Gold?
Both the Golden Dollar and the SBA are clad coins, sharing a three-layer composite construction, with a pure copper core sandwiched between and metallurgically bonded to the outer layers of alloy material. The overall composition of the new Golden Dollar is 88.5% copper, 6.0% zinc, 3.5 % manganese, and 2.0% nickel. The coin's composite construction provides security features that allow machines to distinguish it from slugs, tokens, and foreign coins.
Who Was Sacagawea?
Sacagawea was the Shoshone Indian who assisted the historic Lewis and Clark expedition. Between 1804-1806, while still a teenager, she guided the adventurers from the Northern Great Plains to the Pacific Ocean and back. Her husband, Toussaint Charbonneau, and their son who was born during the trip, Jean Baptiste, also accompanied the group.
Without Sacagawea's navigational, diplomatic, and translating skills, the famous Lewis and Clark expedition would have perished. For one, she helped Lewis and Clark obtain the horses they needed to continue their journey.
Additional Resources
Pomp: The True Story of the Baby on the Sacagawea Dollar - Learn about Pomp's later life as an adventurer in the American West.
Sacagawea - Guide to Lewis and Clark - Collection of links to sites about Sacagawea from About.com.
Sacagawea, Bird Woman - Short history of Sacagawea, the Shoshone Indian woman who lead the Lewis and Clark expedition to the Pacific Ocean as a guide and interpreter.
Sacagawea: Guide to the West? - The history of Sacagawea, guide for the Lewis and Clark expedition. From about.com.
Woman Spirit - Short history of Sacajawea by Julia White. PBS Online: Lewis and Clark - Companion site to the Ken Burns film, 'Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery.' Information on the explorers, expedition journals, trip timeline and maps, interviews with historical experts, an overview of Native American tribes, and classroom lessons. AITLC Guide to Lewis and Clark - A teacher's guide to resources available online. Along the Trail with Lewis and Clark - Provides journals and maps from the expedition. Discovering Lewis and Clark - Interactive workshop providing an overview of the journey of Lewis and Clark, including journal excerpts. Following the Voyage of Discovery - A few historical FAQs, with an expedition map. The History of the Lewis and Clark Expedition - Expedition overview by the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation. Jefferson's Letter - Read the contents of Jefferson's letter of commission to Meriwether Lewis exactly as it was written. The Journey to Fort Clatsop - Detailed narrative of the Lewis and Clark Expedition to the Pacific. Includes President Jefferson's letter of instructions to Captain Lewis. Lewis and Clark - National Geographic's expedition gallery, with references. Lewis and Clark - Ohio River Chapter - The mission of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation is to honor the historic legacy of Lewis and Clark through research, education, preservation, promotion, and coordination. Lewis and Clark Education Center - Engages educators and students in a dynamic understanding of The Lewis and Clark Expedition (1803-1806). Lewis and Clark History Day - Expedition paintings and summary, with an annotated subject bibliography. Lewis and Clark Internet Archive - A links directory of several hundred sites related to the Lewis and Clark expedition. Lewis and Clark Trail - Historical account of the Corps of Discovery along the Lewis and Clark Trail. Includes an events calendar, trail properties, and trail treasures. Meriwether Lewis: A Portrait of an American Explorer and Hero - Biography takes a look at his early years, western exploration, years as governor of the Louisiana Territory, and his mysterious death. Sgt. Charles Floyd: A Short Biography - A brief biographical essay on Sergeant Charles Floyd, the only member of the Lewis and Clark expedition who died during their journey.
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