This is based on a true story. Lewis, Clark and Sacajawea were real people. But the rest may or may not be fiction.
Here is the background. Meriwether Lewis was an intelligent and literate man who also possessed skills as a frontiersman. Lewis solicited the help of William Clark due to Clark's abilities as a draftsman and frontiersman, which were even stronger than Lewis's. Lewis so respected Clark that he made him a co-commanding captain of the Expedition, even though Clark was never recognized as such by the government. President Jefferson hoped that Lewis and Clark would find a water route linking the Columbia and Missouri rivers. This water link would connect the Pacific Ocean with the Mississippi River system, thus giving the new western land access to port markets out of the Gulf of Mexico and to eastern cities along the Ohio River and its minor tributaries. At the time, American and European explorers had only penetrated what would become each end of the Lewis and Clark Trail up the Missouri several miles to the trapper headquarters at Fort Mandan and up the Columbia just a bit over a hundred miles to a point a little beyond present-day Portland, Oregon. Our mission, should we decide to accept it, is to find a water route to connect the Missouri and the Columbia rivers and claim all the land for the United States. You Lewis (Terry) and Clark (Craig) Buy enough supplies to enable us to reach the first trading post. We will need sugar, flour, salt and meat of some kind. We will need a lot of trinkets to trade to the Indians for food and hide. I'll be away for a couple of days so you men gather the provisions. I (Sacajawea) will join you somewhere along the trail.
Hi Shirley, perhaps Craig might prefer to play Lewis, I feel more of a Clark myself but am easy as always. . So why is Sacagawea an important American to know? She was instrumental in the Lewis & Clark Expedition as a guide as they explored the western lands of the United States. Her presence as a woman helped dispel notions to the Native tribes that they were coming to conquer and confirmed the peacefulness of their mission. She was only 16 I read, amazing! I'd be very happy to play Clark or Lewis, your choice Craig. I'm up for playing this scenario which has many opportunities for interesting role playing and story telling. I might research what size party they started off with, gear and supplies wise. Roughly 32 plus horses, donkeys, mules?, small carts, well supplied initially with forward station and skills in foraging, barter n gold cash . They always seemed well supplied from historical accounts, gold, foraging, diplomacy, Letters from Jefferson to many to advance this exploritory adventure...
We're still waiting for Craig (Lewis or Clark whichever he choses to be) to show up. He may be at the trading post buying more salt and sugar. Both are worth more than gold on this trip.
William Clark has arrived with all provisions needed for our expedition... Ok with that Terry. You can be the boss for a change. Shirley when do Lewis & Clarke actually meet up with the Indian squaw guide.
Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 – October 11, 1809) was an American explorer, soldier, politician, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804–1806 across the Louisiana Purchase to the Pacific Ocean, establish trade with, and sovereignty over the natives near the Missouri River, and claim the Pacific Northwest and Oregon Country for the United States before European nations. William Clark (August 1, 1770 – September 1, 1838) was an American explorer, soldier, Indian agent, a planter and slaveholder. EEK. A native of Virginia, he grew up in pre-statehood Kentucky before later settling in what became the state of Missouri.
Here's more background: As his co-commander Lewis selected William Clark, who had been his military superior during the government’s battles with the Northwest Indian Federation in the early 1790s. The U.S. secretary of war denied Lewis’s request of a shared command, but Captain Lewis and Lieutenant Clark chose to address one another as “captain” to hide this fact from the other members of the expedition. For his part, Clark recruited men in Kentucky, oversaw their training that winter at Camp River Dubois in Illinois, and served as the expedition’s principal waterman and cartographer.
Captain Clark, my most extreme pleasure in finally meeting up with you again. Our President Jefferson has given us license to find a way or ways over the Rocky great divide. Your mustering of men an gear from Kentucky is a great boon and all those costs will be covered as previously discussed an agreed. My men will have those same conditions. I've also organised a score of able men and have the iron struts to fashion a boat if needed, amongst a plethora of other gear. We have credit and gold and forward stations to resupply at. Easy at first no doubt. Let us be equal Captains Clark. Despite the politicians, I once served under you and think in this endeavour we be of equal rank to our men. Imagine, two Captains! What we most need is an able Indian translator and guide.
Sacagawea, the daughter of a Shoshone chief, was captured by an enemy tribe and sold to a French Canadian trapper who made her his wife around age 12. In November 1804, she was invited to join the Lewis and Clark expedition as a Shoshone interpreter. This is a nice easy link about Sacagawea: 10 min read max. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.biography.com/.amp/explorer/sacagawea
One last bit of overview from a historical context: The Lewis and Clark Expedition from August 31, 1803, to September 25, 1806, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select group of U.S. Army and civilian volunteers under the command of Captain Meriwether Lewis and his close friend Second Lieutenant William Clark. The expedition made its way westward, and crossed the Continental Divide of the Americas before reaching the Pacific Coast. Route of the expedition on a map with modern borders. President Thomas Jefferson commissioned the expedition shortly after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 to explore and to map the newly acquired territory, to find a practical route across the western half of the continent, and to establish an American presence in this territory before European powers attempted to establish claims in the region. The campaign's secondary objectives were scientific and economic: to study the area's plants, animal life, and geography, and to establish trade with local Native American tribes. The expedition returned to St. Louis to report its findings to Jefferson, with maps, sketches, and journals in hand
One of Thomas Jefferson's goals was to find "the most direct and practicable water communication across this continent, for the purposes of commerce." He also placed special importance on declaring US sovereignty over the land occupied by the many different Native American tribes along the Missouri River, and getting an accurate sense of the resources in the recently completed Louisiana Purchase.[3][4][5][6] The expedition made notable contributions to science,[7] but scientific research was not the main goal of the mission.[8] During the 19th century, references to Lewis and Clark "scarcely appeared" in history books, even during the United States Centennial in 1876, and the expedition was largely forgotten.[9][10] Lewis and Clark began to gain attention around the start of the 20th century. Both the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis and the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition in Portland, Oregon showcased them as American pioneers. However, the story remained relatively shallow until mid-century as a celebration of US conquest and personal adventures, but more recently the expedition has been more thoroughly researched.[9] In 2004, a complete and reliable set of the expedition's journals was compiled by Gary E. Moulton.[11][12][13] In the 2000s, the bicentennial of the expedition further elevated popular interest in Lewis and Clark.[10] As of 1984, no US exploration party was more famous, and no American expedition leaders are more recognizable by name.[9] Timeline Main article: Timeline of the Lewis and Clark Expedition The timeline covers the primary events associated with the expedition, from January 1803 through January 1807.
How's this for a wiki summary of the expeditions start to the point where Lewis and Clark meet Sacagawea. The Corps of Discovery embarks from Camp Dubois outside of St.Louis, Missouri, in a 55-foot keelboat to begin the westward journey up the Missouri River. The log below also gives a sense of the time and cultures. Interpretations of scenarios need not be linear, I reckon, like what about the details of the Lost and Found Private May 14: The Corps of Discovery departs Camp Dubois under Clark's command, its crew more than 40 strong. May 16: They reach St. Charles on the Missouri River to await Lewis's return from St. Louis. May 17: Pvts. Collins, Hall and Werner are court martialed for being AWOL. Collins, who is convicted of additional charges, receives 50 lashes. The other two have their sentences of 25 lashes suspended. May 21: With Lewis and Clark in command, the Corps embarks on the keelboat and two pirogues. During their 2,300 mile trip to the Rockies, the men struggle against the Missouri's current. While sails help when the winds are favorable, most progress is by rowing and either pushing or pulling the heavily-ladened keelboat. May 25: About 50 miles from St. Charles, the party passes La Charette, the westernmost Euro-American settlement on the Missouri. June 26: The expedition encamps at Kaw Point near the Missouri's confluence with the Kansas River in present-day Kansas, 400 river miles into their journey. As a precaution against a possible attack by the regions's Kansa tribe, the men build a temporary defense, but otherwise they spend several days resting and repairing their boats. June 29: During the Corps' stay at Kaw Point, Pvt. Collins is court martialed on charges of stealing whiskey while on guard duty. His sentence is severe, 100 lashes. Pvt. Hall, who is tried for drinking with Collins, receives 50 lashes. July 4: To honor Independence Day, Lewis and Clark name Independence Creek near modern-day Atchison, Kansas. July 11: The Corps enters present-day Nebraska. Pvt. Willard is caught sleeping on guard duty, a capital offense. He is sentenced the next day to receive 100 lashes in four equal installments. July 21: The expedition reaches the confluence of Nebraska's Platte River, 640 miles from St. Louis. July 30: The Corps camps near today's Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, on a hill they name Council Bluff. August 3: Lewis and Clark meet at Council Bluff with chiefs of the Oto and Missouri tribes. While the chiefs want weapons more than token gifts, the Corps' first attempt at diplomacy is for the most part a success. August 4: The party departs, but Pvt. Reed deserts. Two days later, the captains determine Reed is to be brought back dead or alive. August 18: Reed is captured and returned for trial. In addition to being sentenced to a flogging in which he is required to run the gauntlet four times, Reed is expelled from the Corps. Since banishment to the wilds would be a death sentence, he is allowed to remain with the expedition through the winter. August 20: Sgt. Floyd dies, probably from a ruptured appendix. He is the sole casualty of the two-year expedition. August 26: The men elect Pvt. Gass sergeant. Pvt. Shannon, the Corps' youngest member, becomes lost while searching for horses stolen by the Indians. August 27: The Corps strikes camp in Yankton Sioux territory on the Nebraska side of the Missouri near the mouth of South Dakota's James River. August 30: Lewis and Clark hold talks with the Yanktons, who want rifles and whiskey. Instead, the tribe is invited to send a delegation to meet with the Great White Father in Washington, D.C. September 11: Pvt. Shannon is found on the bank of the Missouri starving and out of ammunition after being lost 16 days. September 20: They reach the Missouri's Big Bend in central South Dakota, nearly 1,300 miles from their starting point. September 25: Weapons are drawn in a confrontation with the Lakota Sioux near modern-day Pierre, South Dakota. Elder REDIRECT Chief Black Buffalo diplomatically intervenes, averting bloodshed. October 13: Pvt. Newman is convicted of mutinous talk and expelled. As with Pvt. Reed, he is permitted to remain with the expedition until the spring. October 24: The Corps reaches Mandan Indian territory near present-day Washburn, North Dakota. Over the next few days, they meet with Mandan and Hidatsa chiefs and begin looking for a site for a winter fort. November 2: A location for their winter fortification is selected across the river from the main Mandan village. They name the encampment Fort Mandan to honor the tribe. Construction begins. November 4: Toussaint Charbonneau, a French fur trader living with the Mandans, is hired as an interpreter. One of Charbonneau's wives, a pregnant 16-year-old Lemhi Shoshone named Sacagawea, is also hired. "Where we're going," Lewis says to Clark, "we sure need an interpreter and guide. This French fellow Toussaint Charbonneau seems able but his young Squaw Sacagawea seems ready to burst soon, next month I'd wager. He says not to worry about her, reckons she's tough. We need him and she can speak French, English and many other Indian Languages too. I say 'yes', what do you think Captain Clark? Speak to her or get your Black slave York to see if she's up to it. To satisfy your own conscience of course. Test her gently though, we need Chatbonneau. He has other wives yet he says she is the best of them all for this mission he says, even with a baby in her tummy. Why say that? " 7 weeks later: feel free to back track, elaborate, embellish, emphasise, criticise, like with Lost Pte Shannon. December 24: Fort Mandan is completed. December 25: The Corps celebrates Christmas with special food, rum and dancing.
Feel free to embellish, like with Pvte Shannon in the time line who got lost and later found starving..... With such a complex, long and detailed journrey, I reckon the odd snap shot short story and interaction might suit us??
I was sold to Toussaint Charbonneau to become his child bride. At first I was afraid but he has been a good époux for me. He has never been unkind to me. Since I became with child, he has helped me carry my work load. The work is often hard for a man but sometimes even harder for a woman. He calls me Wea because Sacajawea is such a long word. He has agreed to lead the white men across the mountains to the great waters. I fear that we will all die on the trail. The white men don't know the dangers we face. I will help them as much as I can but there are risks that are still unknown.