Sacagawea

Sacagawea (or Sakakawea, among other preferred spellings) was a Shoshone woman who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition from North Dakota to the Pacific Ocean and back.

Fast Facts

1. Was an integral part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
2. Nicknamed 'Janey' by the explorers
3. Commemorated by parks, schools, sculptures, a river, and a gold dollar
4. Name officially 'Sacagawea' according to the U.S. Government
5. Officially 'Sakakawea' (Bird Woman) according to the Hidatsa
6. Officially 'Sacajawea' (Boat Launcher) according to the Shoshone

Backstory

Sacagawea was born circa 1788 near the present-day border of Idaho and Montana, and was kidnapped, aged roughly 11, along with several other girls by a band of the Hidatsa, ending up near the center of present-day North Dakota. By age 13, she and another Shoshone girl had been married to a French fur trapper, Toussaint Charbonneau. Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery arrived at the Hidatsa vilage in late 1804, and hired Charbonneau as an interpreter. Learning that Sacagawea spoke Shoshone, they decided to bring her along as well.

Expedition

Her contribution to the expedition was fairly modest, but included (besides her language skills) a familiarity with the terrain surrounding her home region of Idaho, and (according to William Clark) confirmation of the party's peaceful intentions to the Indians that it encountered.

Later Life

Little is known of Sacagawea's later life, except that she, Charbonneau, and their son, Jean-Baptiste, settled in St. Louis, Missouri in 1809, at Clark's request. A daughter, Lizette, was born the following year. Records indicate that a Shoshone woman married to Charbonneau died of a fever in 1812, but do not specify whether the woman was Sacagawea or Charbonneau's other wife. In 1813, however, Clark assumed custody of Jean-Baptiste and Lizette, strongly suggesting that Sacagawea had died the previous year, at the age of roughly 25.

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