Sacagawea

Sacagawea was born in what is now the state of Idaho to a Shoshone chief. She was kidnapped by the Hidatsa when she was about 10 years old. She and another girl were purchased by Charbonneau, a French Canadian trapper who married Sacagawea. The famous duo Lewis and Clark asked Charbonneau to serve as an interpreter on their historical expedition. He agreed but asked if Sacagawea could go with them.

Sacagawea turned out to be a great asset to the group. She helped with translation, and according to Clark she was a “token of peace” to the Indians they would meet. Sacagawea would have her first child on the trail. She would also meet up with her brother, who was head of the Shoshone tribe. It was an incredible reunion. She did not stay with her lost family but continued on with the expedition.

The history of what happened after the Lewis and Clark expedition ended is somewhat fuzzy. Some experts say that Sacagawea went with her husband to St. Louis at the invitation of Clark, and later died of a fever. Other accounts say that she returned to the Shoshone tribe on the Wind River Reservation, where she died in 1884. Either way, Sacagawea was a great person in American history.