Sacagawea was a Shoshone interpreter and the only woman in the Lewis and Clark Expedition to the American West. Her role in the expedition is unclear, but she did play an important one after the leader of the expedition, Meriwether Lewis, was injured during a battle with the Blackfeet Indians near what is now Fort Benton, Montana. Sacagawea helped nurse him back to health and accompanied him on his last trip down the Missouri River before leaving for Washington City.
She has been called "a key element in the success of the expedition" and was given gifts upon parting from her new husband. She was also paid by the government for providing information about the country they were crossing.
After the expedition, she returned to her family's camp on the Columbia River where she lived out the rest of her life. In 1806, the year after Lewis and Clark returned home, Sacagawea gave birth to a son who was named Jean Baptiste
He grew up to be an influential man himself. In 1809, he went to France and negotiated a deal that allowed the United States to buy large amounts of French goods. He returned to America and became the first governor of Idaho Territory.
Sacagawea is primarily remembered for her role in the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–06). She served as an interpreter for the voyage, which journeyed thousands of miles from St. Louis, Missouri, to the Pacific Northwest. She helped her husband, Lewis, conduct scientific studies and collect specimens; guide explorers through the uncharted territories; and maintain contact with government officials back home.
Sacagawea was born about 1770 in what is now known as Canada. Her father was a Teton Sioux man and her mother was a Shoshone woman. When she was five years old, her family traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to France, where they stayed for several years. When Sacagawea's father decided to return to his homeland, he took her with him. However, due to political turmoil within the country at that time, they had to stay in Europe for another five years before finally being allowed to return to the United States.
When she was 11 years old, her family again moved, this time to Louisiana. There she met Thomas Jefferson, then president of the United States. He was impressed by her intelligence and leadership skills and asked her to help him on one of his projects. So, at age 12, she left her family to travel with Mr. Jefferson's team on their mission to explore America. During those four years she guided them through dangerous lands filled with wild animals and hostile tribes.
She helped her partners negotiate with Native Americans and find a route through hostile territory.
Sacagawea was born around 1750 into a family of Tule River Indians who lived near present-day Portland, Oregon. Her father was a high priest in the Sun Dance religion and her mother was a weaver who made clothing for other people. When she was 12 years old, her family moved to the village of St. Charles, where her father became the mayor. She learned how to read and write French and gained experience working as a farm servant and as a hunter/gatherer.
In 1805, when Lewis and Clark were looking for someone to help them communicate with Native Americans, their friend Jean Baptiste Chouteau recommended Sacagawea. They hired her as an interpreter and guide on the expedition. She traveled with them until they reached the Pacific Ocean and then returned home to help her people. She and her son, Pierre, who was about three years old at the time, later returned to the United States.