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Historical Background

Establishment of Camp Fortunate

Reunited on August 17, the expedition established camp on the east, or south, bank of the Beaverhead, where it was formed by Horse Prairie Creek and the Red Rock River—3,096 miles from Camp Wood according to Clark's reckoning. This site, occupied until August 24, has become known in the Lewis and Clark literature as Camp Fortunate because of the crucial meeting with the Shoshonis in the vicinity.

The first order of business was a council with Cameahwait. Once the peace pipe had been smoked and the meeting was ready to begin, Sacagawea was brought in to help interpret. She sat down and was beginning to do so when she recognized Cameahwait as her brother. [109] Leaping up, she ran over, embraced him, threw her blanket over him, and wept profusely. She then resumed her translation duties, frequently interrupted by tears. She translated from Shoshoni into Minitari, Charbonneau into French, and Labiche into English.

Lewis and Clark explained to Cameahwait that his tribe as well as his band, which numbered about 300, was now under the jurisdiction of the powerful U.S. Government. It was peacefully disposed toward them, would defend them, and provide them with trade goods. The two leaders also explained that, because the purpose of their mission to the "western" ocean was to find a more direct way to bring goods to the Shoshonis, they should help in every possible way, especially by providing horses and a guide to cross the mountains (Bitterroots) in the event a river passage was impossible. Lewis and Clark presented peace medals and other gifts to the chiefs and the people. They were all intrigued with York and the air gun.

The Shoshonis gave assurance of their friendship, promised to provide horses and a guide, and said they would anxiously await establishment of the trading posts.

Upper Beaverhead River Valley, viewed to the south, or upstream, from the mouth of Clark Canyon. Since the time of this photograph, Clark Canyon Reservoir has swamped the entire valley. This caused relocation of the Union Pacific Railroad line and Highway U.S. 91, both shown here. Camp Fortunate was situated in the distance on the east side of the river near the point of high land rising from the river bottom at the upper left. (National Park Service (Grant, 1952).)

THE next day, the 18th, Lewis celebrated his 31st birthday. Shrugging aside his substantial achievements, which included a successful Army career, service as secretary to the President of the United States, and leadership of a major national expedition, he introspectively and moodily philosophized about the need to improve himself:

This day I completed my thirty first year, and conceived that I had in all human probability now existed about half the period which I am to remain in this Sublunary world. I reflected that I had as yet done but little, very little, indeed, to further the hapiness of the human race, or to advance the information of the succeeding generation. I viewed with regret the many hours I have spent in indolence, and now soarly feel the want of that information which those hours would have given me had they been judiciously expended. but since they are past and cannot be recalled, I dash from me the gloomy thought, and resolved in future, to redouble my exertions and at least indeavour to promote those two primary objects of human existence, by giving them the aid of that portion of talents which nature and fortune have bestoed on me; or in future, to live for mankind, as I have heretofore lived for myself.

Upper Beaverhead River near Camp Fortunate, Mont. Clark Canyon Reservoir has inundated both this stretch of river and the site of the camp since this photograph was taken, at an unknown date. (Source and date unknown.)

Some fruitful councils

During their sojourn with the Shoshonis, Lewis and Clark learned much about their culture and obtained valuable information about the country to the west. Counting only three guns among the Indians, Lewis noted they were North West Company trade items and suspected they had been obtained from a friendly tribe to the east. He also observed that the tribe suffered from venereal disease.

The Shoshonis said they lived on the west side of the Continental Divide from about May until August or September, when salmon became scarce. In that area, though they nearly starved, they felt safe because the Blackfeet and Minitaris had never penetrated that far. Each summer's end the Shoshonis moved eastward across the Beaverhead Mountains to the Missouri River country—a journey they were now preparing for. There they joined friendly tribes such as the Flatheads for mutual protection against the Blackfeet and Minitaris and hunted buffalo on the edge of the plains until they obtained a supply of dried meat. Once this was accomplished, they hurried westward to their mountain fastnesses. They expressed an interest in obtaining guns to put them on an equal basis with their Blackfeet and Minitari enemies.

The Shoshonis told of two tribes to the north and west, the Flatheads and the Nez Perces. Lewis and Clark had apparently never heard of the latter before, but the Minitaris had told them of the Flatheads. Based partly on information they had obtained from the Nez Perces, the Shoshonis said that a river (Salmon) into which the Lemhi flowed eventually led to the ocean, where there were white men, but that gigantic rapids and precipices rendered it impassable by land or water. Game was scarce along its shores, and the timber was not large enough to make canoes. Lewis and Clark assumed the stream must be the Columbia's south fork, which they had posited back at Fort Mandan. The Nez Perces, according to the Shoshonis, annually crossed the mountains (Bitterroots) to and from the Missouri River country over a heavily timbered and rocky road to the north, though they usually starved in the process because of the shortage of game. This road, which led to the Nez Perce buffalo hunting grounds in present Montana, later came to be known as the Lolo Trail. [110]

Headwaters of the Missouri-Columbia River and Pacific Ocean. (click on image for an enlargement in a new window)

DESPITE the lateness of the season, the two captains decided that, though the road undoubtedly offered the best route, they would first reconnoiter the westward-flowing river to verify the Indian reports. Clark, his feet and ankle vastly improved and anxious to investigate the country ahead as Lewis had already done, would perform the reconnaissance and take along axes and other tools to build canoes should this prove to be feasible. Sacagawea and Charbonneau would travel with him to the Shoshoni village. They would hasten the return of the Indians with horses to Camp Fortunate to help Lewis, who would barter for more steeds and move the base camp westward over the mountains to the planned rendezvous point at the Shoshoni village.