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Sacagawea was a Shoshone interpreter, and the only woman on the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Videos see all videos
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Sacagawea - Reunited & Saved (1:32)
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Sacagawea - Guide & Friend (2:08)
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Sacagawea - Reunited & Saved
While helping Lewis and Clark cross the Rockies, Sacagawea ran into Cameahwait, her long lost brother, who was the leader of a Soshone tribe.
Sacagawea - Guide & Friend
Sacagawea helped Lewis and Clark with their expedition by allowing them to trade with Native American tribes and guiding them across unchartered territory.
Lewis and Clark - Discovering the Louisiana Purchase
In order to learn about the territory in the Louisiana Purchase, President Thomas Jefferson hired explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to map the land.
Thomas Jefferson - The Almighty Pen
33-year-old Thomas Jefferson was assigned the task of writing the Declaration of Independence.
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Play NowSacagawea. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 08:33, May 21, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/sacagawea-9468731.
Sacagawea. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/sacagawea-9468731 [Accessed 21 May 2013].
"Sacagawea." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 21 2013, 08:33 http://www.biography.com/people/sacagawea-9468731.
"Sacagawea," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/sacagawea-9468731 [accessed May 21, 2013].
"Sacagawea," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/sacagawea-9468731 (accessed May 21, 2013).
Sacagawea [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 21] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/sacagawea-9468731.
Sacagawea, http://www.biography.com/people/sacagawea-9468731 (last visited May 21, 2013).
Sacagawea. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/sacagawea-9468731. Accessed May 21, 2013.
Synopsis
Sacagawea, the daughter of a Shoshone chief, was born around 1788 in Lemhi County, Idaho. At around age 12, she was captured by an enemy tribe and sold to a French-Canadian trapper who made her his wife. In November 1804, she was invited to join the Lewis and Clark expedition as a Shoshone interpreter. After leaving the expedition, she died at Fort Manuel in 1812.
Early Life
Shoshone interpreter, member of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Born around 1788. Much about Sacagawea, the only woman on the Lewis and Clark expedition into the American West, is a mystery. Daughter of a Shoshone chief, it is not known exactly when she was born. Some sources say 1788 while others say 1787 and 1786. Around the age of 12, Sacagawea was captured by Hidatsa Indians, an enemy of the Shoshones. She was then sold to a French-Canadian trapper named Toussaint Charbonneau who made her one of his wives.
Sacagawea and her husband lived among the Hidatsa and Mandan Indians in the upper Missouri River area (present-day North Dakota). In November 1804, an expedition led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark entered the area. Often called the Corps of Discovery, the expedition planned to explore newly acquired western lands and find a route to the Pacific Ocean. The group built Fort Mandan, and elected to stay there for the winter. Lewis and Clark met Charbonneau and quickly hired him to serve as interpreter on their expedition. Even though she was pregnant with her first child, Sacagawea was chosen to accompany them on their mission. Lewis and Clark believed that her knowledge of the Shoshone language would help them later in their journey.
Lewis and Clark Expedition
In February 1805, Sacagawea gave birth to a son named Jean Baptiste Charbonneau. Despite traveling with a newborn child during the trek, Sacagawea proved to be helpful in many ways. She was skilled at finding edible plants. When a boat she was riding on capsized, she was able to save some of its cargo, including important documents and supplies. She also served as a symbol of peace - a group traveling with a woman and a child were treated with less suspicion than a group of men alone.
Sacagawea also made a miraculous discovery of her own during the trip west. When the corps encountered a group of Shoshone Indians, she soon realized that its leader was actually her brother Cameahwait. It was through her that the expedition was able to buy horses from the Shoshone to cross the Rocky Mountains. Despite this joyous family reunion, Sacagawea remained with the explorers for the trip west.
After reaching the Pacific coast in November 1805, Sacagawea was allowed to cast her vote along with the other members of the expedition for where they would build a fort to stay for the winter. They built Fort Clatsop near present-day Astoria, Oregon, and they remained there until March of the following year. Sacagawea, her husband, and her son remained with the expedition on the return trip east until they reached the Mandan villages.
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