---

Historical Background

Skirting calamity—fending off the Teton Sioux

Wildlife was lush, but Lewis and Clark feared lurking enemies and tightened security. They were nearing the territory of the Teton Sioux, whom the Yanktons had said were located along the mouth of the Bad River. This aggressive tribe, one of the most powerful on the Upper Missouri, was pressuring others westward. It had long harassed and intimidated Spanish and French traders from St. Louis. Not only did the Tetons desire weapons and trade goods for themselves, but they also wanted to deny them to their enemies farther upriver—the Arikaras, Mandans, and Minitaris. If any of them were to obtain any goods or weapons, the Tetons wanted to be the suppliers, so as to control the quantity and reap the middleman's profit. The two captains had heard of their bad reputation way back in St. Louis, and knew that firmness would be required to assert U.S. sovereignty over them.

On the night of September 23 three Teton boys swam the river to the expedition's camp on the north side of the Missouri. They stated that two of their villages—one of 80 lodges and one of 60—lay not far ahead. Lewis and Clark, sending a gift of tobacco along for the chiefs, requested the boys to invite them to a council. The next day, the boats moved up 13 miles to the mouth of the Bad River, which Lewis and Clark called the Teton, and stopped at a spot almost directly opposite modern Pierre, S. Dak. As a defensive measure, the keelboat was anchored off the west, or south, bank. Two-thirds of the group slept on it, and the rest on shore.

Reflecting satisfaction with their progress, Lewis and Clark had called an island they passed Good Humored Island. But this mood soon changed. During the day, some Tetons had stolen the last hunting horse—an augur of trouble to come. The commanders learned that an Indian village was situated 2 miles up the Bad River. That evening, some chiefs arrived. At a conference they agreed to take part in a council the next day.

It began at noon near camp on a sandbar, in the mouth of the Bad River, where a U.S. flag had been placed. The Tetons were represented by their grand chief, Black Buffalo; second chief, The Partisan; third chief, Buffalo Medicine; and two lesser leaders. A special problem—one that was to complicate other relations with the Tetons in the days ahead—was translation. Old Dorion was sorely missed. Only two men in the complement knew any of the Sioux tongue and they did not know much of it. Finally, it was decided to utilize Cruzatte, who spoke Omaha, to translate through one of that tribe, apparently a prisoner, who was present and who knew the Sioux language.

After the council, Lewis and Clark took the three principal chiefs in a pirogue out to the keelboat to see the air gun and other curiosities. The Indians gulped down drinks of whiskey. The Partisan, pretending to be drunk, began to grow ugly. Clark and three men hurriedly took their guests to shore—where the expedition faced its first test. Three young warriors, among many lining the shore, grabbed the pirogue's towrope. The Partisan pushed into Clark, said the presents were cheap, and stated that the boats could go no farther. The situation was tense.

Although Clark realized he was badly outnumbered, he was determined not to be bullied and drew his sword. The braves on the bank, their bows already strung, pulled arrows from their quivers. Lewis, watching intently from the keelboat, ordered the entire complement to take up their rifles and directed that the large swivel gun at the bow be manned and pointed at the Indians. Black Buffalo, seeing that these white men were ready to fight, seized the towrope and ordered the warriors to let go.

Clark, hemmed in and seeing that any attempt on his part to get back to his pirogue would be interpreted as a retreat, ordered his three companions to take it to the keelboat to obtain reinforcements. There, a dozen well-armed men leaped aboard and returned to shore. They and Clark out-faced their adversaries, who backed off.

Clark acceded to the request of Black Buffalo, Buffalo Medicine, and two other Indians to be taken out to the keelboat to spend the night. All the boats then proceeded upstream about a mile and anchored off an island in the river that Clark, recognizing the sad turn of events with the Tetons, called Bad Humored Island. Although a heavy guard was posted, the captains slept fitfully.

In the morning, on the 26th, the craft traveled about 5 miles upriver and anchored along the south bank near an Indian village of at least 80 lodges. That day, tensions subsided somewhat as the Indians decided to play the role of hosts. Unsuccessful with their hostile actions the previous day, they were apparently turning either to diplomacy or to subterfuge, possibly awaiting another village to join them. Although they probably outnumbered the strangers 10 to 1, they had undoubtedly been awed by their courage, cannon and other superior weaponry, and keelboat.

In the afternoon, six Indians carried Lewis and Clark individually to the village on an elegant painted buffalo robe—a privilege ordinarily extended only to renowned chiefs. Adorning the council tent were two Spanish flags and the U.S. flag that had been given to Black Buffalo the day before.

As the council ended and dusk approached, the entertainment began. A dog, considered a delicacy by the Tetons, and pemmican were the principal items in a feast, which was followed by a scalp dance. The Indians displayed 65 scalps. Clark saw 25 women and boy prisoners of 48 the Tetons had captured during a recent raid to the south on the Omahas. During the clash, 75 of that tribe's men and "some boys and children" had died and 40 lodges had been destroyed. About midnight, Lewis and Clark returned to the boats, accompanied by four chiefs. Following what had become almost a fetish among the Indians, they stayed for the night on the keel boat. Everyone in the expedition kept on the alert.

During the next day, the 27th, Lewis and Clark separately revisited the Indian villages and presented more gifts and printed certificates to the chiefs, who entertained their visitors with another round of scalp dances. The Partisan and another Indian came back with Clark to pass the night on the keelboat. All the soldiers were apprehensive for two reasons. First, the loss of the craft's anchor in an accident that day had necessitated bringing the boat along shore under a "falling bank" and exposed the party to hostile action. Secondly, that night some of the Omaha prisoners managed to warn Cruzatte that the Tetons were feigning a display of friendship for the whites while actually plotting their destruction.

In 1832 Catlin painted this huge Teton Sioux encampment of about 600 tipis near Fort Pierre, S. Dak., which is situated along the riverbank in the middle of the painting. This encampment, only a few miles downstream from the one where Lewis and Clank parleyed in 1804, probably resembled the latter. (Oil by Catlin. Smithsonian Institution.)

Thus the decision was made to set out in the morning, the 28th. But any sighs of relief were premature. As the boats made ready to cast off, some of the 200 or so armed warriors along the bank grabbed the cable of the keelboat. Black Buffalo, who had by this time boarded it for a ride upstream, said his people wanted tobacco. Clark, by now a veteran of such harrassment, threatened the crowd with the large swivel gun. As a final gesture, he tossed some tobacco to the chief. He gave it to the men holding the cable, jerked the rope away from them, and handed it to the bowmen. Despite efforts of the Sioux to lure the boats to shore again, they held to the river and pushed onward.

The 4-day ordeal was over. Against weaker men, the Tetons would have triumphed. Only sleepless vigilance, excellent judgment, and bold determination had saved the day. For the time being at least, the two captains had gained much prestige and established U.S. authority over this stretch of the Missouri, which north of the Tetons switched from its previous northwest course once again to almost directly north all the way to the Mandan villages. The news spread rapidly up and down the river and promised a peaceful welcome for the explorers among the upriver tribes.