Sacagawea
Here's a time line of Sacagawaea's short but incredible life:
- circa. 1788 - Sacagawaea was born in Lemhi, Idaho as the daughter of a Shoshone chief
- 1800 - After her tribe was attacked by an enemy tribe, Sacagawea was captured
- 1803 - Sacagawaea was sold to a French Canadian fur trapper as his wife
- November 1804 - Sacagawea, several months pregnant, accompanied her husband on the Lewis and Clark expedition as an interpreter
- February 1805 - Gave birth to her first child, Jean Baptiste, who became the youngest member on the expedition
- May 1805 - Saved important documents from one of the explorers' boats that capsized, Lewis and Clark named the river they were on after her to recognize her heroism
- August 1805 - Sacagawea guided the expedition to her people and helped the explorers negotiate to obtain 29 horses, 1 mule, and a guide from the Shoshone to helped them cross Bitterroot Mountains and the Columbian River
- November 1805 - Sacagawea was allowed to vote as to where they would make camp for the winter, six decades before women would have suffrage
- 1806 - Sacagawea saw the ocean and a whale for the first time
- August 1806 - Completed the expedition, on which she served the important roles of guide, interpreter, and along with her son, a symbol of peace to the Native Americans in the region
- 1810 - Sacagawea moved with her husband to claim the frontier land he obtained from his services for the expedition. Unused to frontier life, he soon sold it to Clark and left their son, Jean Baptiste, under Clark's care. Clark enrolled him in a boarding school and paid for all his expenses.
- 1812 - Relocated with her husband to Fort Manuel, gave birth to a daughter in August, and was believed to have died from putrid fever 3 months later
- 1813 - William Clark obtained guardianship of Sacagawea's children
The men in the Corps Discovery, the name given to the group who went on the Lewis and Clark Expedition, was chosen for their skills in hunting and wilderness survival. Although she was the youngest and the only woman on the expedition, Sacagawea proved herself as tough as any of the men, all the while nursing her young son and keeping him from danger.
She was an invaluable guide, interpreter, and peacemaker on the expedition. Her knowledge of local foods saved the men from starvation by introducing native roots into their diets, and her determination allowed her to save important documents from a capsized boat during a violent storm.
To commemorate Sacagawea for her important contributions to the United States, a river was named in her honor, statutes were erected in recognition of her achievement, and the Sacagawea dollar was minted in her memory. Although Sacagawea grew up in the midst of hardships, her talents, abilities, and indomitable spirit won her an irreplaceable place in American history.