In fact, Clark wrote to Charbonneau that Sacagawea deserved a greater reward than what the expedition gave her. It is not surprising that after their trip ended, the adventurers felt a lifelong debt to Sacagawea. Not a single member of the party was lost to hostile action. They talked first, and Sacagawea often served as the translator. Because no war party was ever accompanied by a woman and infant, the response of the Native Americans was curiosity, not aggression. They entered potentially hostile territory well-armed but undermanned compared to the Native American tribes they met. Most crucially, however, Sacagawea and her infant served as a “white flag” of peace for the expedition. If she had not, much of the record of the first year of the expedition would have been lost to history. With her infant son bound to her back, she single-handedly rescued Captain Clark’s journals from the Missouri whitewater when their boat capsized. She provided crucial knowledge of the topography of some of the most rugged country of North America and taught the explorers how to find edible roots and plants previously unknown to European-Americans. Her contribution far exceeded anything Lewis and Clark had expected. Despite these possible limitations for such an arduous journey, she knew several Indian languages, and being Shoshone, could help Lewis and Clark make contact with her people and acquire horses that were crucial to the success of the mission. Sacagawea was only 15 years old at the time and already six months pregnant.

Hired by Lewis and ClarkĬharbonneau was hired by Captains Lewis and Clark primarily because of the skills his wife, Sacagawea, possessed. They then sold her (or gave her away in a bet) to Toussaint Charbonneau, a French-Canadian fur trader, who made her his wife.

She was later sold into slavery with the Missouri River Mandans.

Her husband and their son, who was born during the trip, also accompanied the group.Īt about the age of 11, Sacagawea was captured by a Hidatsa raiding party and taken from her Shoshone tribe. From 1804-1806, while still a teenager, she guided the adventurers from the Northern Great Plains to the Pacific Ocean and back. Sacagawea was the Shoshone Indian who assisted the historic Lewis and Clark expedition. In 2009, the dollar transitioned to the Native American $1 Coin Program using the Sacagawea obverse paired with different reverse designs each year. The obverse design features Sacagawea and the reverse depicts a soaring eagle. It was the first dollar made with an outer layer of manganese brass, giving it a golden color. Mint issued the Sacagawea Golden Dollar from 2000 to 2008.

Value of a 1972 silver dollar