|
| Retrace the Lewis & Clark Expedition Through Lemhi County
Appointed by President Thomas Jefferson, Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were charged with
finding a navigable water route to the Pacific Ocean. Departing Wood River, Illinois in May 1804, the expedition traveled
for fifteen months to reach the headwaters of the Missouri River, then crossed the Continental Divide and entered the Lemhi
Valley on August 12, 1805.
The 1805 Expedition faced many perils in this region. Stricken by limited provisions with winter fast
approaching, the party transported mountains of canvas, wood and iron gear. After paddling the length of the Missouri River,
the treacherous current of the Salmon River and the steep, crumbly surrounding mountains proved to be formidable obstacles.
Lewis with three men led an Advance Party over Lemhi Pass and encountered the Lemhi Shoshoni Nation.
Convincing the Shoshoni that the small party posed no threat to their well being, they agreed to accompany Lewis' party back
over the pass and to assist the main party.
Clark led the Reconnaissance Party into the valley to explore the feasibility of navigating the Salmon
River. Faced with the strong possibility of drowning should their flimsy canoes be swept into the rocks by the swift current,
the party made a critical decision changing the course of the expedition and opted for a somewhat less hazardous, but equally
difficult dry-land route.
Encamped in Montana, Lewis sorted supplies necessary for the Portage Party, then joined Clark's party.
Winter now only weeks away, the Entire Expedition grew anxious to get to the Pacific Coast.
Imagine the hardships faced by these explorers as they trekked through the Lemhi and Salmon River Valleys,
and uncover places where you can retrace Lewis and Clarks steps in areas where little has changed since they were here. |
|
To learn more about the Lewis and Clark Expedition visit LewisAndClark.com. |
|
The Lemhi Valley, Birthplace of Sacajawea
The segment of the Lewis & Clark
trail that runs through the Salmon and Lemhi Valleys has been called one of the very few pristine and unchanged portions of
the trail still in existence. It is the dream of the residents of the county
to build the Sacajawea Interpretive Center to welcome tourists and visitors to the area, as they arrive to celebrate the bicentennial
of the epic journey of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Several other interpretive
sites are in planning stages also.
Sacajawea was a Lemhi Shoshoni woman who
had been captured at a young age and enslaved by the Hidatsa Indians (North Dakota.) She lived with them for five years
before meeting Lewis and Clark and was hired along with her husband, a French-Canadian Fur Trapper named Toussaint Charbonneau,
so she could interpret for the Corps of Discovery when they made contact with her people the Lemhi Shoshoni and other native
peoples. The expedition left Fort Mandan in 1804, and at the age of seventeen, with an infant on her back, Sacajawea accompanied
the Corp all the way to the Pacific and back to Mandan village during the period of 1805-1806.
The young teenage mother proved to be indispensable to the expedition
in many ways. Her survival skills, translation and negotiation capabilities, her familiarity of the land and Indian
culture made her a key to the success of the expedition and a very well respected member of the group. Captain Clark
and Lewis' journal entries highlight her contributions to the epic trek on many occasions.
When
the Expedition reached the Lemhi Valley, Sacajawea was reunited with her brother, Chief Cameawait and other family members. She was instrumental in negotiations with the Lemhi Shoshonis for food and horses
that were necessary to the group to continue their journey.
Captain
Lewis and his advance party first saw the Lemhi Valley on Monday, August 12, 1805. Their
view was one of “immense ranges of high mountains still to the West of us with their tops partially covered with snow.”
During
the twenty three days that the expedition spent in the Lemhi and Salmon Valleys, the expedition determined that they could
not continue on with their river journey safely, so they purchased horses and procured an old Indian guide and his son in
order to continue their journey by land. The Expedition traveled onward through
the county and up and over the mountains where they entered the present state of Montana. The trek proved to be extremely
treacherous and grueling. Their guide, “Old Toby,” took a wrong trail and led the Expedition over what is now
called “Lost Trail Pass.” Because of the rugged terrain, this is
one of the only portions of the trail that remains a mystery as to the exact location of the route.
"Sacajawea's Aqui-dika (Lemhi) family
tells us that Sacajawea joined her ancestors and loved ones beyond the Milky Way as a young woman. Nonetheless, her
courageous spirit and strength live on. Her nephew, Chief Tendoy, exemplified Sacajwea's fortitude and is noted in Idaho
history as one of the greatest Indian leaders of his time. It is quite evident that while her tenacious spirit
lives on through her family's prosperity, her legacy will continue as long as we can look back and take pride in those who
faced formidable challenges in our nation's history." - Rose Ann Abrahamson, descendant of Sacajawea, 2000.
|
|
To learn more about Sacajawea's home in Lemhi Valley visit SacajaweaHome.com. |
|
|
Sacajawea Heritage Days and
The Great Salmon
Valley Balloonfest IX
Each year, the Salmon Valley Chamber of Commerce sponsors the Sacajawea
Heritage Days and the Great Salmon Valley Balloonfest during the second weekend of August.
This year the dates of the celebration will be August 10, 11, & 12th.
The third annual Heritage Days Celebration will mark another year on the way to the big Lewis & Clark Bi-Centennial
in 2005. The Chamber’s goal is to continue to grow this event each year.
This year’s event will kick off on Friday, August 10th
with the dawn balloon flights. Friday evening will begin with the Lemhi Cattlemen’s
Association’s famous beef barbeque dinner followed by a free concert at 7:30 pm sponsored by the Salmon Arts Council
and Budweiser. Weather permitting, a balloon glow will take place. The Chamber folds will be on hand to sell beverages, snacks and the ever-popular glow-sticks.
At dawn on Saturday, the 11th, the balloons will again
fly followed by a Dutch Oven Tailgate Brunch at 9 am at Island Park. Then the
Heritage Days Celebration begins!
There will be artists and artisans on hand to demonstrate and sell
arts & crafts reminiscent of the period, i.e., horseshoeing, candle & soap making, woodworking, flint-knapping, metal
working, quilting, etc. There will be many exhibits including a Traveling Trunk
of Replicas of Artifacts of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The Fort Hall Inter-Tribal
Dance Company will perform, there will be a Sacajawea Presentation and the exhibits and demonstrations will continue through
the rest of the day. On Sunday, those colorful balloons will once
again light up the Salmon landscape. A Box Social/Picnic and Ice Cream Social
will be held at noon at Island Park. As this article is being written in February,
all events & times at this point are tentative. Many additional events are being scheduled all the time, so please check
with the Chamber for an updated schedule as August draws near. The Salmon Valley
Chamber may be reached at 800-727-2540. |
|
