April 1805

Our baby isn't even two months old yet. Its very cold out and we've been sleeping in a tent dressed of skins. When we stop for the day, I begin to prepare for supper. I go in search for roots and plants to eat. By using a sharp piece of drift wood I was able to gather many roots for us to eat.

March 17, 1805

March 17, 1805

We are staying at what my husband calls Fort Manden. It is a fort made of pine trees with walls twice as tall as I. It has three sides, like an arrowhead. The walls are twenty paces in length. There are many comfortable quarters for us to live in. There is enough room for me, Toussiant, and our new baby in our quarter. The Missouri River, as the white men call it, is starting to melt. The men came up with the idea to herd the buffalo to walk on the river. As they walked on the ice would crack and they would fall through the water. When they did this the men were then able to shoot the buffalo. We now have enough meat to last us on out trip. We will leave in one moon. I am quite scared and nervous to what we might see and what may happen.

Birth of Jean Baptiste

Dear Diary
It was a cold February evening, the 7th. The pain was excruciating and the weather conditions were poor as I gave birth to my son on a cold dirt floor. The white leader whom was known as Captain Clark gave me a crushed rattle snack rattle which I swallowed during the birth, to ease my pain. It took ten minutes to give birth. I was only sixteen years old. The child a round race, jet black hair, and big dark eyes. He seemed to be of good health. The baby was named Jean Baptiste. I fear that our coming journey will be burdensome because of this child.

10-5-10

My husband told me that we will be traveling for the next few years with Lewis and Clark. They are older white men. They had been sent by the white man to explore this land. We are going along so I can help translate with other tribes. It will be scary I’m sure to be away from any civilization for such a long time. 

Toussaint took me to meet the men last night. They are white men. They looked older and like well explorers. They were kind to me and tried their best to communicate with me and tell me where we would be going. This trip could be more difficult now that I am with child. It could slow us down with the child.

Welcome!

Hi my name is Sacagawea meaning bird woman, and I belong to the Lehmi band of the Shoshone tribe. I was captured by a Hidatsa war tribe when I was thirteen. I was then sold to Toussaint Charbonneau, he was a French fur trader, who later became my husband. We traveled to the land of the Sioux where my husband would trade fur with the Mandan, Hidatsa, Lakota, and Dakota tribes. It is here, where Toussaint is hired by white men to translate for them. We will travel with them for the next two years from the land of the Sioux to the Pacific Ocean and back. I had also just found out that I am with child.

Please feel free to comment or ask questions!