Exploring the Missouri River Valley and the Rocky Mountain area long had
been a cherished project of President Jefferson. He had talked about it
periodically since the Revolution, and when he became President he set
about to make his dream come true. Even before the United States owned
the Louisiana Territory, Capt. Meriwether Lewis, Jefferson’s secretary,
and William Clark, younger brother of George Rogers Clark, had been
picked to head an expedition to explore the West.
The journey did not begin, however, until May, 1804, when the expedition
left St. Louis. Capt. Lewis led his explorers up the Missouri River to
what is now North Dakota, and before cold weather set in they built huts
and a stockade for winter quarters. The next spring they moved on up the
river in dugout canoes (pirogues) towards the mountains. The following
selection from Capt. Lewis’ journal of the expedition was set down on
April 13, 1805, when the party was at the junction of the Missouri and
the Little Missouri rivers, still in North Dakota.
Being disappointed in my observations of yesterday for longitude, I
was unwilling to remain at the entrance of the river another day for
that purpose, and therefore determined to set out early this morning;
which we did accordingly; the wind was in our favour after 9 A.M. and
continued favourable until 3 P.M. We therefore hoisted both the sails
in the White Pirogue, consisting of a small square sail and spritsail,
which carried her at a pretty good gait, until about 2 in the
afternoon when a sudden squall of wind struck us and turned the
pirogue so much on the side as to alarm Charbonneau [_the
interpreter_], who was steering at the time. In this state of alarm he
threw the pirogue with her side to the wind, when the spritsail gibing
was as near oversetting the pirogue as it was possible to have missed.
The wind, however, abating for an instant, I ordered Drouillard [_also
an interpreter_] to the helm and the sails to be taken in, which was
instantly executed, and the pirogue being steered before the wind was
again placed in a state of security. This accident was very near
costing us dearly. Believing this vessel to be the most steady and
safe, we had embarked on board of it our instruments, papers,
medicine, and the most valuable part of the merchandise which we had
still in reserve as presents for the Indians. We had also embarked on
board ourselves, with three men who could not swim, and the squaw
[_Sacajawea, the Shoshone wife of Charbonneau, who showed the party
the way across the Continental Divide and obtained horses and
protection for them from the Shoshones_] with the young child, all of
whom, had the pirogue overset, would most probably have perished, as
the waves were high, and the pirogue upwards of 200 yards from the
nearest shore; however, we fortunately escaped and pursued our journey
under the square sail, which shortly after the accident I directed to
be again hoisted.
By the end of May the expedition had moved halfway across Montana, still
following the Missouri River:
Today we passed on the starboard [_right_] side the remains of a vast
many mangled carcasses of buffalo which had been driven over a
precipice of 120 feet by the Indians and perished; the water appeared
to have washed away a part of this immense pile of slaughter and still
there remained the fragments of at least a hundred carcasses. They
created a most horrid stench. In this manner the Indians of the
Missouri destroy vast herds of buffalo at a stroke; for this purpose
one of the most active and fleet young men is selected and disguised
in a robe of buffalo skin, having also the skin of the buffalo’s head
with the ears and horns fastened on his head in form of a cap. Thus
caparisoned he places himself at a convenient distance between a herd
of buffalo and a precipice proper for the purpose, which happens in
many places on this river for miles together; the other Indians now
surround the herd on the back and flanks, and at a signal agreed on
all show themselves at the same time moving forward towards the
buffalo.
The disguised Indian or decoy has taken care to place himself
sufficiently nigh the buffalo to be noticed by them when they take to
flight, and running before them they follow him in full speed to the
precipice, the cattle behind driving those in front over and seeing
them go do not look or hesitate about following until the whole are
precipitated down the precipice forming one common mass of dead and
mangled carcasses. The decoy in the meantime has taken care to secure
himself in some cranny or crevice of the cliff which he had previously
prepared for that purpose.
By August 13 the expedition was crossing the Continental Divide at Lemhi
Pass on the border between Montana and Idaho. In the selection that
follows, Capt. Lewis describes the party’s meeting with the Shoshone
Indians.
We had not continued our route more than a mile when we were so
fortunate as to meet with three female savages. The short and steep
ravines which we passed concealed us from each other until we arrived
within 30 paces. A young woman immediately took to flight; an elderly
woman and a girl of about 12 years old remained. I instantly laid by
my gun and advanced towards them. They appeared much alarmed but saw
that we were too near for them to escape by flight; they therefore
seated themselves on the ground, holding down their heads as if
reconciled to die, which they expected no doubt would be their fate. I
took the elderly woman by the hand and raised her up, repeated the
word _tab-ba-bone_ and stripped up my shirt sleeve to show her my
skin; to prove to her the truth of the assertion that I was a white
man, for my face and hands, which have been constantly exposed to the
sun, were quite as dark as their own. They appeared instantly
reconciled, and the men coming up, I gave these women some beads, a
few moccasin awls, some pewter looking-glasses, and a little paint.
I directed Drouillard to request the old woman to recall the young
woman who had run off to some distance by this time, fearing she might
alarm the camp before we approached and might so exasperate the
natives that they would perhaps attack us without enquiring who we
were. The old woman did as she was requested and the fugitive soon
returned almost out of breath. I bestowed an equivalent portion of
trinket on her with the others. I now painted their tawny cheeks with
some vermillion, which with this nation is emblematic of peace. After
they had become composed I informed them by signs that I wished them
to conduct us to their camp, that we were anxious to become acquainted
with the chiefs and warriors of their nation. They readily obeyed and
we set out, still pursuing the road down the river.
We had marched about 2 miles when we met a party of about 60 warriors
mounted on excellent horses, who came in nearly full speed. When they
arrived, I advanced towards them with the flag, leaving my gun with
the party about 50 paces behind me. The chief and two others who were
a little in advance of the main body spoke to the women, and they
informed them who we were and exultingly showed the presents which had
been given them. These men then advanced and embraced me very
affectionately in their way, which is by putting their left arm over
your right shoulder, clasping your back, while they apply their left
cheek to yours and frequently vociferate the word _ah-hi-e, ah-hi-e_,
that is, I am much pleased, I am much rejoiced. Both parties now
advanced and we were all caressed and besmeared with their grease and
paint till I was heartily tired of the national hug.
I now had the pipe lit and gave them smoke; they seated themselves in
a circle around us and pulled off their moccasins before they would
receive or smoke the pipe. This is a custom among them, as I
afterwards learned, indicative of a sacred obligation of sincerity in
their profession of friendship, given by the act of receiving and
smoking the pipe of a stranger. Or which is as much as to say that
they wish they may always go barefoot if they are not sincere; a
pretty heavy penalty if they are to march through the plains of their
country.
After crossing the Continental Divide, the expedition descended the
Columbia River to the Pacific Coast, where they built a fort and spent
the winter of 1805-1806. The next year they retraced their steps across
the wilderness and returned to St. Louis in September, 1806, having been
gone twenty-eight months. The expedition not only was a great adventure,
but it also captured the imagination of the country. Not long afterwards
fur traders began tapping the rich resources of the area, and by the
middle of the century settlers were crossing the plains and mountains
via the Oregon Trail.