Sacagawea Reunion Aided Expedition Crossing

During the 1804-1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition to reach the Pacific and pursue new trade routes, the Lemhi Shoshone interpreter Sacagawea helped the party cross the Rocky Mountains after Hidatsa raiders kidnapped, enslaved, and sold her as a wife at about 12. On August 17, 1805, she reunited with her brother, a man named Cameahwait, whom American explorer William Clark called the "Great Chief" of her nation. The Lemhi Shoshones then sold the expedition horses, carried cargo, shared knowledge of the Bitterroot Mountains and Columbia River, and supplied a guide. On the return journey in 1806, Sacagawea recommended a route across the Continental Divide that the Northern Pacific Railway later selected as its optimal crossing.

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