Sacajawea Gallery, Stevensville Montana

Lewis and Clark Meeting the Indians at Ross's Hole, C.M. Russell, oil, 1896

Meeting with the peaceful Salish in a camp near Trapper's Peak known as Ross's Hole, the expedition traded for fresh horses to help them continue their westward journey.

Moving north through the valley, the Corps camped at various sites near what is now Stevensville, reaching Traveller's Rest in present-day Lolo on September 9, 1805. There they enjoyed the natural hot springs and stocked up on venison for the arduous mountian crossing ahead of them.

On their return journey, Lewis and Clark would part ways at Traveller's Rest, Lewis heading north through Blackfeet territory and Clark travelling south with Sacajawea and the majority of the Corps down through the Bitterroot Valley once more. The mountain creeks, swollen with snow melt, were Clark's most difficult obstacle, and several horses were washed downstream in the crossings. On July 4th, 1806, Clark and his company stopped for lunch and recorded their celebratory attitudes as they spent Independence Day in the shadow of the beautiful Bitterroot Mountains.

Sacajawea Gallery is located in downtown Stevensville, along the very route that the Corps followed northward through the valley. As the bicentennial of the historic journey nears, Sacajawea Gallery is actively participating in historical and artistic events to preserve the spirit and history of this unique and compelling epic in American history.

What is the correct way to spell Sacajawea?

There are several accepted spellings and pronunciations of Sacajawea's name. Lewis and Clark recorded her name as Sah-cah' gah-we-ah, which is a phoenetic rendering of her name in Hidatsa - Sacagawea. Hidatsa was the language spoken by her captors in North Dakota. Among her native people, the Shoshone, her name was not the Hidatsa "bird woman," Sacaga-wea, but may have been a name sounding more like Sacajawea, which means "boat launcher." We use the spelling Sacajawea in honor of her native tribe, the peaceful Shoshone people of Wyoming and Idaho.

Where can I learn more?

There are many great resources on the life of Sacajawea and her role in the trek of the Corps of Discovery. A few links are listed here:

PBS.org's Inside the Corps

Lewis and Clark in the Bitterroot, by the Discovery Writers of Stevensville, Montana

National Geographic's photo re-enactment of the journey

Bitterroot National Forest information page

Sacajawea Gallery - 301 Main st. Stevensville, MT 59870 - (406) 777-3806


			History By the time Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery reached the mountains south of Montana's Bitterroot Valley in the late summer of 1805, they had abandoned the hope of finding a simple water route to the Pacific Ocean. Saying farewell to the Shoshone, Sacajawea's people, in Idaho, they made their way across the rugged mountains of the Bitterroot range and into the Bitterroot Valley, home of the Salish indians.







	Lewis and Clark Meeting the Indians at Ross's Hole, C.M. Russell, oil, 1896 Meeting with the peaceful Salish in a camp near Trapper's Peak known as Ross's Hole, the expedition traded for fresh horses to help them continue their westward journey. Moving north through the valley, the Corps camped at various sites near what is now Stevensville, reaching Traveller's Rest in present-day Lolo on September 9, 1805. There they enjoyed the natural hot springs and stocked up on venison for the arduous mountian crossing ahead of them. On their return journey, Lewis and Clark would part ways at Traveller's Rest, Lewis heading north through Blackfeet territory and Clark travelling south with Sacajawea and the majority of the Corps down through the Bitterroot Valley once more. The mountain creeks, swollen with snow melt, were Clark's most difficult obstacle, and several horses were washed downstream in the crossings. On July 4th, 1806, Clark and his company stopped for lunch and recorded their celebratory attitudes as they spent Independence Day in the shadow of the beautiful Bitterroot Mountains. Sacajawea Gallery is located in downtown Stevensville, along the very route that the Corps followed northward through the valley. As the bicentennial of the historic journey nears, Sacajawea Gallery is actively participating in historical and artistic events to preserve the spirit and history of this unique and compelling epic in American history. What is the correct way to spell Sacajawea? There are several accepted spellings and pronunciations of Sacajawea's name. Lewis and Clark recorded her name as Sah-cah' gah-we-ah, which is a phoenetic rendering of her name in Hidatsa - Sacagawea. Hidatsa was the language spoken by her captors in North Dakota. Among her native people, the Shoshone, her name was not the Hidatsa "bird woman," Sacaga-wea, but may have been a name sounding more like Sacajawea, which means "boat launcher." We use the spelling Sacajawea in honor of her native tribe, the peaceful Shoshone people of Wyoming and Idaho. Where can I learn more? There are many great resources on the life of Sacajawea and her role in the trek of the Corps of Discovery. A few links are listed here: PBS.org's Inside the Corps Lewis and Clark in the Bitterroot, by the Discovery Writers of Stevensville, Montana National Geographic's photo re-enactment of the journey Bitterroot National Forest information page Sacajawea Gallery - 301 Main st. Stevensville, MT 59870 - (406) 777-3806