The Turbulent Life of Sacagewea
Sacagawea was a young Native American woman who is famous for being a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Sacagawea
Although Sacagawea’s name is famous in the United States, her story is difficult to recount because we know so little about her life.
While her experiences with the Lewis and Clark Expedition are well documented, her early and later life are very much in question.
It is generally accepted that she was born into the Northern Shoshone nation on the modern Idaho/Montana border and at approximately 12-years-old she was taken captive by members of the Hidatsa nation in a raid.
Toussaint Charbonneau
By 16, Sacagawea was sold to a French trader named Toussaint Charbonneau and forced into marriage.
Charbonneau was already married to another teenager, Otter Woman, and would go on to wed at least five other Native American teenagers throughout his lifetime.
The three were living in North Dakota when the Corps of Discovery came through exploring on behalf of the Jefferson Administration.
Lewis and Clark
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were happy to find people who could speak both English and the Native American languages in the area and decided to hire Charbonneau (though they quickly realized how difficult Toussaint was to deal with).
Despite the trouble, the Corps of Discovery realized how valuable this unconventional family might be.
Although Otter Woman did not join the adventure, Sacagawea did.
Part of the Corps
When the Americans met Sacagawea, she was already several months pregnant.
She spent the winter in their makeshift fort (Fort Mandan) and gave birth to Jean Baptiste Charbonneau shortly before the group left for the Pacific.
Interestingly, Sacagawea has become famous in American History as a guide for Lewis and Clark, however, her primary role was as an interpreter.
Still, she did help determine which routes to take on several occasions, most importantly on the return trip over the Rocky Mountains.
After The Adventure
After her famous adventure, Sacagawea’s life becomes very difficult to track.
Eventually, she relented to William Clark’s requests and put her children in his care in St. Louis for their education.
Sacagawea seems to have travelled with Toussaint in the North West where she most likely died in 1812 at the age of 26 from an unknown disease.
Want to read about more Native American Founders?
Great! Check out these articles:
Polly Cooper - Healing Soldiers at Valley Forge https://www.founderoftheday.com/founder-of-the-day/polly-cooper
The Highest Ranking Native American in the Continental Army - Colonel Louis Cook https://www.founderoftheday.com/founder-of-the-day/colonel-louis
Sacagawea has several biographies about her life.
The book by Liselotte Erdrich and Julie Buffalohead really brings the story alive.
Pick up a copy through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).
Want to get fun American Revolution articles straight to your inbox every morning?
Subscribe to my email list here.
You can also support this site on Patreon by clicking here.
Thanks for your support!
