-
Sakakawea was born near present-day Lemhi County, Idaho. She grew up as a member of the Agaidika of Lemhi Shoshone Tribe.
-
At 12, her tribe fought a battle against the Hidatsa, a gun-possessing tribe. She, along several young women, were kidnapped and taken to a Hidatsa village near what is now Bismarck, North Dakota.
-
Through a purchase/gambling payoff Sakakawea becomes the property of French-Canadian fur trader Toussaint Charbonneau. He was at least two decades older than her and born no later than 1767.
-
In 1804 Lewis and Clark's Expedition reaches the Hidatsa-Mandan settlement (where Sakakawea lived). On November 2nd, 1804, at six months pregnant, she and her husband join the expedition where knowledge of the land and other skills are highly valued.
-
Toussaint Charbonneau had lived alongside the Natives for a long period of time and had accepted many of their traditions. One of these traditions was polygamy, for Sakakawea became one of his two wives.
-
Sacagawea delivered her son Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau (known as Baptiste) on February 11, 1805. Her son is also known as Pompy.
-
In order to pass the Rockies, the expedition was in desperate need of horses. When running into a Shoshone tribe, whose chief turned out to be Sakakawea's brother, she used her knowledge of the Shoshone language to translate back and forth between the two parties, leading to the gaining of horses.
-
The boat in which she was sailing in nearly capsized. Sacagawea was able to save crucial papers, books, navigational instruments, and medicines all while ensuring her baby's safety.
-
Before settling in for a long winter, the expedition had to choose a location to build their shelter/fort. With Sakakawea's knowledge, Fort Clatsop was built near the mouth of the Columbia River giving easy access to food, water, and other materials.
-
In 1809 Sakakawea, her husband, and her son moved to St. Louis and worked as farmers. She and her husband later left in 1811 to join a fur-trading expedition, leaving their son behind with Clark.
-
At Fort Manuel Sakakawea gave birth to her second child, a daughter. Her daughter's name is Lizette.
-
On December 20th Sakakawea died. She passed away from Typhoid Fever.
