Thursday, May 5, 2011

After Sacagaweas Death

U.S. dollar coin.
Sacagawea was an amazing woman in history. Her story has lived on way after her death, historians study about her, and she is taught about in schools, museums, and many other places around the world. Sacagawea even has a U.S. dollar coin in her honor. it was introduced  in 1999. The picture on the coin is not really of Sacagawea, but that's because no pictures really exist of her, just discriptions of what she looked like. It is also said that there are more statues in Sacagawea's honor than any other woman in history. Many public schools, especially in the Northwest, are named after Sacagawea, as are some mountians, streams, and lakes.

Sacagaweas Death

There are many stories of what happened to Sacagawea after the expedition, there are also many stories about her death. Historians say that Sacagawea remained living with her husband Charbonneau until she died. They think that she died of typhoid fever at the age of twenty five. They also think that when she died she had a one year old daughter, and that Clark adopted her daughter and her son and raised them. Sacagawea's people believe that she returned home and died at the age of seventy eight years old. There are many other stories of her death, but these two stories are the most popular. Her death has become a great debate, because there are so many different opinions of what happened to her. No one truly knows what happened.

Sacagawea's baby; Jean Baptiste Charbonneau

Sacagawea and Jean Baptiste.
Sacagawea's baby Jean Baptiste Charbonneau was born on the expedition. He was born on February 11th, 1805 with the help of Lewis. Sacagawea wrapped Jean Baptiste onto a cradleboard, strapped him on her back and they began the journey to the coast. The first part of Jean Baptiste's life was well documented in the journals of Lewis and Clark. Clark really liked Jean Baptiste and called him ''Little Pomp'' which means ''Leader''. After the expedition, Clark offered to help Sacagawea raise Jean Baptiste and give him an education. Sacagawea took him up on the offer and brought Jean Baptiste to St. Louis in 1809, when he was four years old. By the time Jean Baptiste was eighteen he was living in Kansas City, then he moved to Germany for a little while to learn the language and helped a Duke with his studies. In 1829 Jean Baptiste was back in St. Louis working as a fur trapper. Jean Baptiste had a few different jobs throughout his lifetime, most were outdoors; hunting, fishing, guiding, and many others. The gold outbreak hit when Jean Baptiste was sixty one, he packed up his belongings, and went to go find his fortune in Montana. He never made it there though, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau died of pneumonia along the trail of Danner, Oregon.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

The Lewis and Clark Expedition

Sacagawea guiding Lewis and Clark.
In late October 1804, Lewis and Clark's expedition reached the territory of the Mandan people, Lewis and Clark camped there for the winter, and thats where they met Sacagawea and her husband Charbonneau. A little while after the expedition began, Sacagawea's baby was born on February 11th, 1805; he was named Jean Baptiste Charbonneau. They stopped the for a while to let Sacagawea recover, the expedition was resumed on April 7th, 1805. On August 15th, 1805 Sacagawea was re-united with her tribe. She Learned that almost all of her family was dead, and the only living members were her two brothers. Her Brother Cameahwait was the head chief of the Shoshone tribe; he sold them the horses they needed to cross the mountians. On June 10th, Sacagawea became very ill and almost died. Lewis and Clark discussed this event in length in their journals. They said that if she died, they probably would not be able to finish the expedition. She ended up recovering and finishing the expedition. Sacagawea was the only woman on the expedition, so on top of being a guide and translator; she cooked, foraged for food, sewed, took care of her baby, and cleaned the men's clothes. She had the most work out of everyone on the expedition.

Sacagawea's Life

Statue of Sacagawea and her baby; Jean Baptiste.
Sacagawea was born in about 1790 in what is now the state of Idaho. When Sacagawea was about twelve the Hidatsa's raided the Shoshone camp to steal horses and take prisioners. Sacagawea was captured along with a few others from her tribe. The Hidatsa's named her Sacagawea; which means ''Bird Woman''. Sacagawea was living with the Hidata's until Charbonneau bought her as a wife, a few years later her husband let Lewis and Clark take Sacagawea on there expedition, to serve as a translator and guide. When she joined the Expedition she was sixteen years old and pregnanat.

Timeline

1788-1790: ·Sacajawea born
1799-1801: ·Sacajawea captured by Hidatsas. Sold or gambled away to Toussaint Charbonneau, who makes her one of numerous wives.
Fall 1803: ·Lewis and Clark Expedition assembles in St. Louis
February 1805: ·Sacajawea gives birth to Jean Baptiste ("Pomp")
August 18, 1805: ·Sacajawea helps Lewis and Clark trade for Shoshone horses
November 8, 1805: ·The expedition first sights the Pacific Ocean
August 20, 1806: ·Clark writes letter to Charbonneau, Sacajawea. Offers to take over responsibility for raising Jean Baptiste ("Pomp").
September 1806: ·Lewis and Clark Expedition reaches St. Louis
October 30, 1810: ·Charbonneau buys land on Missouri River from Clark
1811: ·Charbonneau sells land back to Clark. Sacajawea and Charbonneau leave St. Louis area; leave Jean Baptiste with Clark.
December 20, 1812: ·Alleged date of Sacajawea's death at Fort Manuel in South Dakota