Trapper and Guide: Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, 1805-1866
The only son of Sacajawea of the Shoshone and Toussaint Charbonneau, a French-Canadian fur trapper who may have been mixed-race himself, became a man of many talents. Throughout his life, Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, 1805-1866 was a trapper, trader, scout, guide and interpreter as well as a mayor, prospector and hotel operator. He was also educated, well-traveled in Europe and America, and spoke English, French, Spanish, German and several Native languages including his mother's Shoshone.
The life of this remarkable man began in 1805 at Fort Mandan, near present-day Washburn, North Dakota. Toussaint Charbonneau had signed on with the Lewis and Clark expedition as a hunter, interpreter and guide, but the real draw was his pregnant teenaged wife, Sacajawea, a Shoshone by birth. Lewis and Clark knew they would need to trade horses from the Shoshone to make it over the Rocky Mountains and they would need an in with the tribe when the time came. Sacajawea went into labor and had a difficult time with the birth. William Clark gave her an old Native remedy, ground up snake rattles made into a broth, which seemed to stimulate her contractions and allow her son to be born safely. Charbonneau named the boy Jean-Baptiste. Sacajawea and later Lewis and Clark nicknamed the child Pomp or Pompey. Sources differ on the origin of the nickname but it stuck throughout the remainder of the expedition. Pompey was a unique calling card to the various tribes the expedition encountered along the way. Women and children never traveled with war parties. Therefore, the Expedition wasn't seen as a threat and wasn't attacked during the entire duration of their journey.
Pompey's Pillar, a rock edifice on the bank of the Yellowstone River in Montana, commemorated the boy's presence with the Expedition and became a popular landmark with travelers going west. After the Expedition, Sacajawea and Charbonneau moved to St. Louis at Clark's invitation. Later, Sacajawea gave birth to another child, Lizette, who likely died young. In 1809, she and Charbonneau left to return to the Mandan, and Charbonneau signed over guardianship of his son to Clark. Clark provided for Jean-Baptiste's education at a boarding school. Between school and living with William Clark, whose whom was filled with mementoes from the Expedition and from Clark's time as an Indian Agent in St. Louis, Jean-Baptiste gained an interest in exploring and travel. By 1823, Jean-Baptiste was employed at a trading post on the Kansas River and met another seriously wealthy German aristocrat, Duke Paul Wilhelm of Wurttemburg. Toussaint and Jean-Baptiste had an impromptu family reunion, because Toussaint was serving as the Duke's guide. Impressed with Jean-Baptiste, the Duke offered to take him to Europe to further his education.
Jean-Baptiste traveled Europe in the Duke's employ from 1823-1829. He may even have visited parts of Africa. While in Germany, a relationship with a soldier's daughter resulted in the birth of a son, Anton, who died a few months later. Returning to America, Jean-Baptiste was hired as a trapper by the American Fur Company. Jim Bridger, James Beckwith and other well-known Mountain Men were colleagues. He was a guide to several wealthy aristocrats touring the west, the best known being William Drummond Stuart, 4th Baron Blair, who was as much a character as Prince Max von Weid. Jean-Baptiste also served as a guide and interpreter for John C. Fremont.
During the Mexican War, Jean-Baptiste was employed by the army as a hunter and scout. He worked with both Stephen Watts Kearney and Phillip St. George Cooke. He was a guide to the Mormon Battalion commanded by Cooke and served as its guide in the uncharted territory between Santa Fe, New Mexico and Los Angeles, California. A monument to his service stands near the Arizona-Mexico border at Palominos, Arizona. Jean-Baptiste had plenty of time to get acquainted with California, and decided to stay. In 1847, he was appointed Alcalde, or mayor and judge, of Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, the only civilian authority for miles around. While there, he developed a relationship with a Luiseno woman and had a daughter by her. Their descendants still survive among the Luiseno people.
In 1848, friction between Mexican and American authorities caused Jean-Baptiste to give up the alcalde position and try his hand at prospecting in the Gold Rush near Auburn, California. He became a successful miner, able to find enough mineral to meet his expenses. Having been successful in California, he also went to Montana and other strikes such as Silver City to prospect. In 1865, he was in present-day Rome, Oregon, where an unspecified accident caused him to fall into a river and catch pneumonia. He died on May 16, 1866. He was buried near Ontario, Oregon, and the plaque marking his grave notes him as the youngest member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. In 2000, the Lemhi Shoshone, of whom Sacajawea was a member, also dedicated a monument to him, considering him one of their own through her.
Rumors persisted that Sacajawea lived for several years after the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and eventually died near what is now Fort Washakie, Wyoming. The rumors also insist that Jean-Baptiste was buried next to her at Fort Washakie. A monument to him exists at the Fort, but there was no evidence that he was buried there, or that Sacajawea had been in the area when she died, years earlier.
The life of this remarkable man began in 1805 at Fort Mandan, near present-day Washburn, North Dakota. Toussaint Charbonneau had signed on with the Lewis and Clark expedition as a hunter, interpreter and guide, but the real draw was his pregnant teenaged wife, Sacajawea, a Shoshone by birth. Lewis and Clark knew they would need to trade horses from the Shoshone to make it over the Rocky Mountains and they would need an in with the tribe when the time came. Sacajawea went into labor and had a difficult time with the birth. William Clark gave her an old Native remedy, ground up snake rattles made into a broth, which seemed to stimulate her contractions and allow her son to be born safely. Charbonneau named the boy Jean-Baptiste. Sacajawea and later Lewis and Clark nicknamed the child Pomp or Pompey. Sources differ on the origin of the nickname but it stuck throughout the remainder of the expedition. Pompey was a unique calling card to the various tribes the expedition encountered along the way. Women and children never traveled with war parties. Therefore, the Expedition wasn't seen as a threat and wasn't attacked during the entire duration of their journey.
Pompey's Pillar, a rock edifice on the bank of the Yellowstone River in Montana, commemorated the boy's presence with the Expedition and became a popular landmark with travelers going west. After the Expedition, Sacajawea and Charbonneau moved to St. Louis at Clark's invitation. Later, Sacajawea gave birth to another child, Lizette, who likely died young. In 1809, she and Charbonneau left to return to the Mandan, and Charbonneau signed over guardianship of his son to Clark. Clark provided for Jean-Baptiste's education at a boarding school. Between school and living with William Clark, whose whom was filled with mementoes from the Expedition and from Clark's time as an Indian Agent in St. Louis, Jean-Baptiste gained an interest in exploring and travel. By 1823, Jean-Baptiste was employed at a trading post on the Kansas River and met another seriously wealthy German aristocrat, Duke Paul Wilhelm of Wurttemburg. Toussaint and Jean-Baptiste had an impromptu family reunion, because Toussaint was serving as the Duke's guide. Impressed with Jean-Baptiste, the Duke offered to take him to Europe to further his education.
Jean-Baptiste traveled Europe in the Duke's employ from 1823-1829. He may even have visited parts of Africa. While in Germany, a relationship with a soldier's daughter resulted in the birth of a son, Anton, who died a few months later. Returning to America, Jean-Baptiste was hired as a trapper by the American Fur Company. Jim Bridger, James Beckwith and other well-known Mountain Men were colleagues. He was a guide to several wealthy aristocrats touring the west, the best known being William Drummond Stuart, 4th Baron Blair, who was as much a character as Prince Max von Weid. Jean-Baptiste also served as a guide and interpreter for John C. Fremont.
During the Mexican War, Jean-Baptiste was employed by the army as a hunter and scout. He worked with both Stephen Watts Kearney and Phillip St. George Cooke. He was a guide to the Mormon Battalion commanded by Cooke and served as its guide in the uncharted territory between Santa Fe, New Mexico and Los Angeles, California. A monument to his service stands near the Arizona-Mexico border at Palominos, Arizona. Jean-Baptiste had plenty of time to get acquainted with California, and decided to stay. In 1847, he was appointed Alcalde, or mayor and judge, of Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, the only civilian authority for miles around. While there, he developed a relationship with a Luiseno woman and had a daughter by her. Their descendants still survive among the Luiseno people.
In 1848, friction between Mexican and American authorities caused Jean-Baptiste to give up the alcalde position and try his hand at prospecting in the Gold Rush near Auburn, California. He became a successful miner, able to find enough mineral to meet his expenses. Having been successful in California, he also went to Montana and other strikes such as Silver City to prospect. In 1865, he was in present-day Rome, Oregon, where an unspecified accident caused him to fall into a river and catch pneumonia. He died on May 16, 1866. He was buried near Ontario, Oregon, and the plaque marking his grave notes him as the youngest member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. In 2000, the Lemhi Shoshone, of whom Sacajawea was a member, also dedicated a monument to him, considering him one of their own through her.
Rumors persisted that Sacajawea lived for several years after the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and eventually died near what is now Fort Washakie, Wyoming. The rumors also insist that Jean-Baptiste was buried next to her at Fort Washakie. A monument to him exists at the Fort, but there was no evidence that he was buried there, or that Sacajawea had been in the area when she died, years earlier.
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