An interesting bit from a reading. Lewis & Clark

[valley ranch]

From the writings of Captain William Clark: On November 4, "a French man by the name of Chabonah visit us he wished to hire & informed us his 2 Squars were Snake Indians." The man's name Toussaint Charbonneau. A French Canadian about 45 years old, living among the Hidatsa as and independent trader. His squars teenage Shoshone or{Snake} Indians, who had been captured by a Hidatsa raiding party 4 years earlier at the place where three rivers come together to form the Missouri, called Three Forks. Charbonneau had won them in a bet with the warriors who captured them. The Hidatsa had further informed that the Shoshone lived at the headwaters of the Missouri and were rich in horses. Charbonneau with /shoshone speaking squars, who can speak to Charbonneau in Hidatsa. Charbonneau was told to pick one of his wifes and bring her to the fort.
He picked Sagagawea who was about 15 years old and 6 months pregnant. The couple moved into the fort for the winter, apparently leaving Charbonneau's other wife to fend for herself.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The spelling is that of Captain Clark.

This paints a different picture than shown in movies and some books. If there is a further development that again alters the picture, I'll let you know..

 

[Nyboy]

Usually is very different !!!!!!

 

[baymule]

History and legend is rarely the identical same.

 

[Smart Red]

But 'cha haven't gotten to the good parts yet. Sagagawea does go on to make the voyage successful despite her tender years.

 

[journey11]

That was an interesting read.

 

[Nyboy]

Very sad she must have been around 11 years old, when stolen from her family.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Sacagawea (different spellings) was a remarkable person. In reading the history of Lewis and Clark she was a lot more valuable to the expedition than her husband even at her tender age. it wasn't just her translation abilities, she knew the land and found relatives. Not many teenage girls could have done what she did.

A lot of people like to romanticize the past, I do too. But I realize the reality of what life was actually like can be very different than romance puts it.

 

[Smart Red]

Right, as well as making the trip carrying and tending a baby when still a child herself. Her baby was a 16 mo. old toddler by the end of the trip.

 

[valley ranch]

February 11, Sacagawea's labor, this was her first the woman has boarn and as is common in such cases the labor was tedious and violent. Heard from a trader that a small portion of rattle snake rattle was sovereign in such cases and having a rattle of a snake by me, broke the rattle into small pieces mixed with some water which Sacagawea drank. Wheather this medicine was truly the cause of not I shall not undertake to determine. but she had not taken it more than ten minutes before she brought forth. A boy named Jean Baptiste Charbonneau.
The party that will head west in spring, three squads of enlisted men, each with it's sergeant. two captains, and 5 persons outside military. Drouillard, York, Charbonneau, Sacagawea and Jean Baptiste. nickname Pomp.

Fort Mandan was built by the party in preparation for winter for protection from Indian attack.

 

[valley ranch]

May 14, The wind behind, so the sails were up on the piroques. A crosswind struck; one piroque, having no keel, turned on her side, and would have gone topsaturva had it not been from the resistance made by the oaring against the water. Private Cruzatte, at the bow, was shouting at Charbonneau, at the redder, to turn the boat into the wind, Charbonneau was crying to God for mercy and could not hear. Articles began floating downstream from the capsized piroque, including scientific instruments and the captain's journals. Sacagewea her baby boy strapped to her back, sitting in the floundering craft, calmly reached out and gathered them in, one by one.