American History Tellers - Lewis and Clark | Across the Rockies | 2

Episode Date: April 20, 2022

In the spring of 1805, Lewis and Clark resumed their journey up the Missouri River in search of the Pacific. But to reach the ocean, they would have to cross the towering Rocky Mountains. It was a forbidding task, and one they couldn’t achieve alone. They would need the help of their young interpreter, Sacagawea, and her tribe, the Shoshone. But first, they had to locate the elusive Shoshone – and with winter fast approaching, time was running out.Listen ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/historytellersPlease support us by supporting our sponsors!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can binge new seasons of American History Tellers early and ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Imagine it's May 1805 on the bank of the Missouri River, somewhere deep in the uncharted northwestern corner of Louisiana Territory. You're a private with Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery. With you are five other men from the expedition, and you've all ventured away from the main party to hunt. The six of you are now crouched on a small hill dotted with pine trees.

Lying in the grass below, just 40 paces away, is your prey, a large brown grizzly bear, and so far it hasn't noticed you creeping in on it. One of your fellow hunters whispers to you, I thought the Mandan Indians were telling tales about these beasts, but that is the biggest bear I've ever seen. He's big, but we'll make short work of him. All right, now take aim. You raise your rifle. The three hunters to your right do the same.

The other two hold back, ready to fire if the first attack fails. You aim for the beast's torso, hoping to hit its lungs or heart. All right. Fire! You pull the trigger. Three more shots follow in quick succession. All four bullets hit the bear. Good shot!

You expect the wounded bear to roll over and die. But instead, it rears up and lets out a terrifying roar. It's as if your bullets have only made it angry. Instinctively, you back away. The bear sees you and charges, eyes blazing and jaws wide open. The reserve hunters fire their two rifles. One bullet slams into the beast's shoulder, stopping the bear for a moment. But then it charges again. Everybody run, run! You and the others scatter. There's no time to reload. All you can do is run for your life. You race down the hill, but you can hear massive paws pounding the dirt behind you.

The bear is closing in. You sprint towards the riverbank. It's a 20-foot drop, but it's your only hope. You fling your rifle away and leap off the edge. Arms and legs flailing, you crash into the Missouri River. You swim to the surface and see one of the expedition's pirogues anchored offshore. But then you hear an almighty splash behind you. You turn around and gasp.

The bear's in the water. You turn and swim as hard as you can towards the boat. But the current's against you, and the grizzly's a more powerful swimmer, even with five gunshot wounds. The furious splashing behind you closes in, but then a shot rings out. The beast's splashing stops. You look back. The bear is floating face down in the river. Blood seeps from its head, darkening the clear blue water around it. You look up at the riverbank and see one of your hunting party standing on the bluff, holding a smoking rifle. He calls out,

I think you owe me a dram of your whiskey tonight. Maybe I need it for my nerves. You bob in the water and watch the dead grizzly slowly drift downstream. You and the rest of the expedition laughed at the Indians' wild tales about these monsters and their superhuman size and strength. Now you know better. The grizzly is indeed something to be feared, and it's yet another reminder that in these unfamiliar lands, danger is always present. From Wondery comes a new series about a lawyer who broke all the rules. Need to launder some money? Broker a deal with a drug cartel? Take out a witness? Paul can do it.

I'm your host, Brandon Jinks Jenkins. Follow Criminal Attorney on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. From Wondery, I'm Lindsey Graham, and this is American History Tellers. Our history, your story. In 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark went up the Missouri River and headed west into the unknown. Their mission was to discover a river route to the Pacific and explore whatever lurked in North America's largely unmapped interior. They were eager for adventure, but soon faced harsh challenges. One of their men fell ill and died. They failed to foster good relations with the powerful Lakota or Teton Sioux, nearly coming to blows with them. And they endured a harsh winter where food was in short supply. Lewis and Clark's expedition now needed to find a way across the plains and through mountains to reach the Pacific before winter pinned them down once more. This is Episode 2, Across the Rockies.

On April 15, 1805, Lewis and Clark awoke in what is today North Dakota and found that the wind was in their favor. They ordered their men to hoist the sails of the pirogues and let nature do the hard work of taking their boats up the Missouri River. It was a lovely day. The sun was shining and the mercury in Lewis's thermometer climbed towards a pleasant 78 degrees. It had been eight days since they had left their winter fort near the Mandan villages and resumed their journey. During that time, the Missouri had widened from a river into a lake. Instead of steep riverbanks, the countryside now sloped gently out of the water to form small, grassy hills. As they sailed past present-day Newtown, North Dakota, they reached the last place marked on their map. President Thomas Jefferson had

commissioned the map prior to their departure. It held all U.S. knowledge about the Missouri and the lands around it. But now it was useless. For the next 2,000 miles, Lewis and Clark would have to fill in the rest. As far as the captains knew, no Americans had ever seen these lands before. And what they saw astonished them. The endless prairie teemed with game. Day after day, they passed huge numbers of elk, buffalo, beavers, deer, and pronghorns. The animals seemed unused to people. Instead of fleeing, they ignored the expedition's hunting parties. Some even trotted over for a closer look. They saw plenty of grizzly bears, too. At first, the men were eager to grab the rifles

and go kill the beasts that the Indians so feared and respected. But after several terrifying encounters, the men grew more cautious with hunting these apex predators. So they turned to other game. While the men hunted, fifteen-year-old Sacagawea used her knowledge of the land to locate and dig out Jerusalem artichokes, wild licorice, and prairie turnips. Sakaga Wea was the expedition's Shoshone interpreter. Lewis and Clark had gained her services when they hired her French-Canadian husband, Toussaint Charbonneau. Like other Shoshone, she had learned how to find roots to eat as a child. Now, with her two-month-old son on her back, she was using those skills to help feed the entire expedition.

Lewis was not fond of the roots she dug up. He thought they tasted bland and insipid. But when added to the expedition's meat-heavy meals, the vegetables probably fended off scurvy, which had periodically afflicted the men since the expedition started. But gathering food was not Sacagawea's primary job on the expedition. The Mandan Indians had told Lewis and Clark that to cross the Rocky Mountains, they would need to purchase horses from the Shoshone. It would be up to the teenage Sacagawea to translate during that critical exchange. In the far distance, the explorers could now make out the snowy peaks of the Rockies. In late May 1805, they crossed into what is now Montana,

and as they did, the landscape changed. Missouri narrowed into winding bends that snaked for miles, slowing their progress to a crawl. The gentle, grassy riverbanks rose into tall, craggy bluffs. The sun turned white and hot, the air turned dry, and the cool winds of the plains died back. The water got shallower and littered with rocks. They had reached the Missouri River breaks.

As they moved through this barren landscape, the river walls closed in until they loomed more than 200 feet over the explorers. Then, on June 3rd, the expedition was shocked to find a fork in the river. Before leaving the Mandan villages, they had consulted with the nearby Hidatsuta people about what they might find ahead. The Hidatsuta knew the region because they often headed west to conduct raids on other tribes, including the Shoshone. It was during one of these raids that the Hidatsuta had captured Sakagawea,

who they later sold to Charbonneau. But the Hidatsuta had said nothing about this place. They told the captains that the next landmark would be a great waterfall. Instead, they were now confronted by the river cleaving into two similar-sized forks. The north fork was slower-moving and muddier. The south fork was more shallow and wider. But only one could be the Missouri. Lewis and Clark consulted Sakagawiya. As a Shoshone, she was the only person among them who had been this far west, but she had never seen this river junction before either, though she thought the North Fork was probably the right one.

Most of the men agreed with her. But the captains weren't so sure, and they couldn't afford to gamble. They had to find the source of the Missouri. President Jefferson's main goal in creating the expedition had been to find the connection between the Missouri. President Jefferson's main goal in creating the expedition had been to find the connection between the Missouri and the Columbia Rivers. He believed the two rivers would provide a transcontinental water route that would strengthen America's claim to the Pacific Northwest. The expedition wouldn't have time to travel up one fork,

only to discover it was the wrong one. If that happened, and they had to turn back, they would never get across the mountains before winter. Their supplies would then run out before they reached the Pacific. So the captains agreed to split up and scout both forks of the river on foot. The next morning, Clark led his group up the southern branch, while Lewis and his team set off along the north fork. But as they explored the river's diverging forks, it began to rain, and their paths along

the muddy riverbanks grew treacherous. Imagine it's June 1805, near the North Fork of the Missouri River. You're a private in the Corps of Discovery, and you're walking along the narrow edge of a high riverbank. Rain is lashing down. The ground squelches beneath your feet. To your right, there's a steep drop to the river far below. To the left, a mass of prickly pears. Ahead of you, Captain Lewis leads the way. You call out to him. Sir, I still believe this river is the Missouri. I disagree, Private. Let's return to camp and see what Captain Clark's party says about the Southport. It's only then that... You see Lewis slip in the mud.

He lands hard on his side and slips straight toward the edge. You rush forward to help, but the slippery mud causes your feet to fly out from under you as well. You slam face-first into the wet mud and start sliding toward the precipice. You scratch and claw, but can't get a grip. It's a 90- start sliding toward the precipice. You scratch and claw but can't get a grip. It's a 90-foot drop onto the rocks below. You know if you go over, there's little chance you'll survive. You glance up and see Lewis hauling himself back up to level ground. You cry out to him. Captain! Captain! I'm stuck! Lewis turns to you. The downpour is washing the mud off his face in streaks.

He looks you in the eyes. Listen to me. You are not in danger, Private. Take the knife from your belt with your right hand. You reach back and find the handle of your knife. Carefully, you yank it free. But your body slides again. Oh, God, help me, Captain! Lewis doesn't move.

Stay calm, Private. Now use your knife to make a hole in the face of the bluff for your right foot. With a trembling hand, you gouge a foothold into the soft mud of the river wall. Now place your right foot into that hole. Drag up your leg and probe with your foot until you find the hole. Good, good, good. Now push yourself up and get onto your hands and knees. Using your right leg, you heave your body back over the edge.

Gingerly, you get onto your hands and knees. It's too risky to stand. You need to get away from this wet slope first. Lewis beckons you forward. Alright, you're almost there, Primer. Now just crawl forward, slowly and carefully. On all fours, you edge forward through the mud toward the captain and safety. You're soaked, freezing, covered in mud, but most of all, you're grateful. Captain Lewis has saved your life. After Lewis and Clark split up to explore the river forks, heavy rains transformed the ground

underfoot into mud as slick as grease. Private Richard Windsor slipped and nearly fell to his death. Only Captain Lewis's calmness under pressure saved him. Windsor's near-death experience deepened his and other men's faith in Lewis. When the expedition first began, the enlisted men sometimes fell asleep on duty or fought with each other. But that was over a year ago. Since then, they had over a year ago.

Since then, they had become a tight unit. So when the captains returned from scouting the river forks and decided the South Fork was the Missouri, there were no objections. Lewis and Clark reasoned that the South Fork's smooth stones and clearer waters were evidence that it was coming from the mountains. No one else agreed, but they followed the captains out of loyalty. In order to get the boats up the shallow South Fork but they followed the captains out of loyalty. In order to get the boats up the shallow south fork, they needed to lighten their load. So they identified the supplies they thought they could do without and stashed them nearby. Clark then began the slow task of directing the flotillas' journey upriver. Meanwhile, Lewis and four other

men raced ahead on land to locate the huge waterfall the Hidatsuta had told them about, which would confirm that they had chosen the correct fork. men raced ahead on land to locate the huge waterfall the Hidatsuta had told them about, which would confirm that they had chosen the correct fork. Two days later, on June 13, 1805, Lewis heard falling water. He and his men advanced towards the sound and saw spray rising over the hills like smoke. They had found the Great Fall of the Missouri. Except it wasn't one waterfall, as the Hidatsuta had described. It was five, each with huge torrents of water crashing noisily down steep cliffs and into the river below. The great falls of the Missouri left Lewis awestruck. He thought it was the greatest sight he had ever seen in his life. It was also vindication. He and Clark had made the

right choice. The South Fork was the Missouri. But now the expedition had to get past not just one waterfall, but five. And there was more bad news. Though Lewis and his advance team had made it to the falls, Clark and the rest of the Corps were stuck five miles downriver. Unable to get any further by water, the captains ordered the expedition's tons of supplies to be brought to the falls by land. It was arduous work. The terrain was rough and full of prickly pears with sharp needles that constantly stabbed the men's feet.

Mosquitoes descended in clouds, cold rain blasted them, and hot sun burned. It took until the middle of July for the exhausted men to get the supplies past the falls. They also constructed eight canoes out of cottonwood trees to replace the boats they had left behind. By then, it had been a month since Lewis found the Great Falls. The expedition had been stuck ever since. Midsummer had come and gone, and the days were getting shorter. Time was now their enemy. They had to get past the falls, find the Shoshone, buy horses from them, and cross the mountains all before winter. Captain Lewis had promised President Jefferson he would send a small group back with the latest journals and specimens before entering the mountains.

But now, confronted with the reality of what the expedition had to do before winter, the captains agreed they could not spare the manpower. So on July 14, 1805, Lewis and Clark gathered the expedition together with its new dugout canoes and lighter, reduced supplies. They had to lead the Corps on an urgent quest to find the Shoshone. If they couldn't get over the Rockies before winter, they would likely run out of food and other vital supplies, and the expedition would be doomed. Dracula, the ancient vampire who terrorizes Victorian London. Blood and garlic, bats and crucifixes, even if you haven't read the book, you think you know the story. One of the incredible things about Dracula is that not only is it this wonderful snapshot of the 19th century,

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I'm Tristan Redman, and as a journalist, I've never believed in ghosts. But when I discovered that my wife's great-grandmother was murdered in the house next door to where I grew up, I started wondering about the inexplicable things that happened in my childhood bedroom. When I tried to find out more, I discovered that someone who slept in my room after me, someone I'd never met, was visited by the ghost of a faceless woman. So I started digging into the murder in my wife's family, and I unearthed family secrets nobody could have imagined. Ghost Story won Best Documentary Podcast at the 2024 Ambies and is a Best True Crime nominee at the British Podcast Awards 2024. Ghost Story is now the first ever Apple Podcast series essential. Each month, Apple Podcasts editors spotlight one series that has captivated listeners with

masterful storytelling, creative excellence, and a unique creative voice and vision. To recognize Ghost Story being chosen as the first series essential, Wondery has made it ad-free for a limited time only on Apple Podcasts. If you haven't listened yet, head over to Apple Podcasts to hear for yourself. On July 18th, 1805, Captain Lewis noticed the bighorns just after breakfast. The expedition was camped by the Missouri, just down from the Dearborn River in what is now western Montana. The bighorn sheep were hopping from rock to rock on the perpendicular cliff face opposite the camp. Lewis watched in amazement as the wild sheep bounced off the rock face, seemingly unconcerned by the risk of falling hundreds of feet to their death. But the diversion of the daredevil sheep didn't last long. Lewis's attention soon returned to their need to find the

Shoshone. Clark decided to go ahead with a small scouting party while Lewis continued leading the rest of the Corps up the Missouri. Clark and his party found an Indian trail through the mountains. It was hard terrain to cover, but there were signs of the Shoshone. On the first day, Clark found old camps abandoned months earlier. The next day, he saw a column of smoke rising in the distance. On day four, Clark's exhausted group rejoined the expedition to learn there was another promising sign. Sacagawea recognized where they were. She told them her people used to gather at a place nearby, where the river split in three. A few days later, the expedition reached the Three Forks, the point where three small rivers

merged to form the Missouri. The captains named these new rivers the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin after the U.S. President, Secretary of State, and Secretary of the Treasury. Sakagawiya told the captains that this was where the Hidatsuta had attacked her tribe, killing some and taking her and others prisoner. But there were no Shoshone there now, only empty villages. Lewis felt the situation was getting urgent. He had hoped to encounter the Shoshone weeks ago, but they remained elusive, and without their horses and guidance, the Corps would never make it over the mountains before winter snowed them in. On top of that, Clark was now sick, laid low by fever, chills, and muscle

pains. Lewis plied Clark with Dr. Rush's bilious pills, an explosive laxative that the expedition used as a cure-all. But Lewis wasn't about to wait around for Clark to get back on his feet. He had to find the Shoshone before it was too late. Sakagawea told him her people were most likely to be somewhere along the newly named Jefferson River. So Lewis and three men set off on foot to follow the Jefferson and try to save the expedition from ruin. Imagine it's August 1805 in the foothills just east of the Bitterroot Mountains.

Today, you're part of a small search party helping Captain Lewis look for the Shoshone in the middle of a valley where the once mighty Missouri is now just a small creek. Up ahead, Captain Lewis stops. You see something, sir? Lewis doesn't reply. He lifts his spyglass to his right eye and shuts his left. You see him crack a smile beneath his scraggly beard. Then he hands you the spyglass. Look about two miles distant, Private. There's an Indian boy on horseback approaching. You raise the spyglass. Look about two miles distant, Private. There's an Indian boy on horseback approaching. You raise the spyglass and scan the landscape. At first, you only see more of the spiky plants

that fill this valley, but then you spot the boy. He's in his mid-teens and carrying a bow. You check around him and then hand the spyglass back to Lewis. He seems to be alone, Captain. Yeah. We must take care not to frighten him. We must show him that we are Americans, not their Blackfeet or Hidatsa enemies. You look left and right. The other two members of your small party are Private John Shields and your translator, George Druyard. They're on either side of you, but at a distance and out of earshot, neither of them have spotted the boy on horseback. They continue to advance down either side of the narrow valley.

Lewis begins striding straight towards the boy. You hurry after him, splashing through the creek to catch up. The boy turns your way. He's seen you. Lewis freezes and holds out his arm to stop you in your tracks. Be still, Private. This is a delicate matter. Lewis gets a blanket from his pack and flaps it in the air

three times. You give Lewis a confused look. What are you doing, sir? It's a signal of friendship among the Indians of the Missouri. You look back at the boy. He's perhaps a mile away, glancing nervously side to side. Captain, he seems more concerned about the rest of our party. They're still approaching him from the sides. The boy must think we intend to ambush him. Lewis hands you his rifle. Here, take this and stay here. I must show we come in peace. With that, Lewis slowly heads toward the boy and starts shouting, Tababon! Tababon! You remember that Sakagowia told the captains that Tababon is Shoshone for white man. Lewis shouts it again. Tababon!

The boy stays frozen. Lewis signals to Drewer to stop, and he does. Then Lewis signals for private Shields, but the oblivious private keeps on walking. He doesn't seem to have noticed the boy or the captain's frantic signals. The boy watches nervously as Shields keeps approaching. Lewis tries again to reass noticed the boy or the captain's frantic signals. The boy watches nervously as shields keeps approaching. Lewis tries again to reassure the boy. Suddenly, the boy yanks the reins of his horse and cracks his whip. The horse turns and speeds off toward the mountains. Lewis groans in frustration. He turns to private shields. Shields! Fool, do you realize whatants at Shields. In the distance,

you see the boy on the horse vanish into the mountains. You try not to think about what he will tell his people, but you know it probably won't be good. The peace signals Lewis and his men had learned from the tribes back east no longer worked with the Shoshone. Even the one word of Shoshone that Sakagawaya had taught them was useless. Lewis thought Tababon meant white man, but the Shoshone had no word for that. Tababon actually meant stranger. But Lewis wouldn't give up. Without the Shoshone had no word for that. Tababon actually meant stranger. But Lewis wouldn't give up. Without the Shoshone's help, the expedition would never succeed. And two days later, Lewis's four-man scouting party chanced on an old Shoshone woman and two teenage girls.

The older teenager ran, while the woman and the younger teenager fell to their knees, expecting enslavement or death. Lewis and his men reassured the old woman and girl by giving them beads, paint, and mirrors. Then they used sign language to ask the old woman to take them to her chief. Two miles out from the Shoshone camp, Lewis saw a party of sixty warriors charging towards them on horseback. The boy they frightened had raised the alarm, and this war party was the response. The warriors rapidly

surrounded Lewis and his men. They could have slaughtered the four white men in a moment, but the presence of the old woman made them pause. Lewis and his men laid their rifles on the ground. The old woman talked to one of the Shoshone men and showed him the gifts Lewis gave her. The man dismounted his horse, hugged Lewis, and introduced himself. He was Chief Kameowate of the Lemhi Shoshone. Kameowate took Lewis back to the Shoshone camp. Lewis explained the expedition's purpose and asked the chief about the way ahead. Kameowate's reply shocked the captain. To reach the Columbia, the expedition would need to travel a long and dangerous mountain path. After that, they would find the Nez Perce people,

and then, past their territory, a very fast and rocky river that would finally lead them to the ocean. Lewis struggled to process this news. Kamehameha was telling him that the all-water route to the Pacific was a myth, and that meant Lewis and Clark were doomed to return home with a message of disappointment. Lewis's initial assumption was that the Shoshone were lying. After all, President Jefferson was convinced a river route from the east to west existed. It was easier for Lewis to conclude that the chief was a liar

than to accept that the president had sent him on a wild goose chase. Kamehameha asked if America would sell his people guns. The Spanish and British refused to arm the Shoshone, but sold guns to their enemies, the Blackfeet and Hidatsuta. As a result, the Shoshone lived in fear. Lewis promised that after he returned east, white men would come and sell them as many guns as they needed. He also told Kamehawait that he had already convinced the Hidatsuta to stop attacking his people.

But this was a lie. Lewis knew the Hidatsuta had ignored his request to leave the Shoshone alone. Pleased, Kamehameha agreed to sell horses to the expedition and to help bring the rest of the Corps of Discovery to his camp. But many of the other Shoshone remained wary. They believed the Americans were in league with the Blackfeet. This was some elaborate trap. So as Kamehameate and his men rode with Lewis

to meet Clark and the rest of the expedition, tensions were high. The Shoshone feared the Blackfeet could attack at any moment, while Lewis and his men feared the Shoshone might still turn on them. On August 17, 1805, Lewis and the Shoshone reached the rest of the Corps. For Sacagawea, it was an emotional reunion with her people, made all the sweeter when it turned out that Kamehameha was her brother. But the reunion changed little for Sacagawea. When the expedition moved on from Kamehameha's camp on September 1, she went with them, still in the company of her infant son and her French-Canadian husband,

Toussaint Charbonneau. There was no record of whether she did so willingly or was forced. Lewis and Clark now had the horses they needed, 29 in all, though most were the cast-offs the Shoshone didn't want. They were also joined by a Shoshone guide Lewis and Clark called Old Toby, who agreed to lead them through the Bitterroot Mountains, part of the Rockies. And just as Kameowate had warned, the path through the Bitterroots was unforgiving. The steep slopes were filled with fallen timber. It was hard to find level ground to camp on or

grass to feed the horses. Old Toby often got lost, forcing everyone to backtrack. On the steep hills above the Loxah River, several of the packhorses slipped and tumbled down. One of the horses was carrying Clark's writing desk. The desk was destroyed, but the horse survived. And then, five days in, the food started to run out. There was little to hunt except squirrels and grouse. The expedition turned to its emergency supplies of portable soup and started to kill and eat the most expendable horses.

On September 16th, it began to snow. The explorers soldiered on, clambering over slippery, steep slopes. They ended each day wet and shivering by their fires, supping on portable soup made with melted snow. By the 18th, it was clear that the expedition did not have enough food to make it. Even the portable soup was running out. It wouldn't be long before they had to start slaughtering their best pack horses to fill their stomachs, and without those horses, they would be forced to start abandoning supplies. The captains were desperate. They decided that Clark should forge ahead with a

small group of the strongest men, including his enslaved servant York, to search for a good hunting spot and amass food for the rest of the expedition. The trek across the mountains had become a race against time. Every day, the expedition's stock of food was shrinking, and their overloaded packhorses were making slow progress. Their only hope was that Clark's party could get out of the mountains and gather enough food to save them from starvation by the time the rest caught up. So at first light, Clark set out, determined to find food before it was too late. The survival of the entire expedition now rested on his shoulders.

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Check out Exhibit C in the Wondery app for all your true crime listening. It's an early fall morning in 1805. The day began like any other for the people living on the prairie just a few miles southwest of present-day Weeip, Idaho. These members of the Native American tribe called the Namipu, or Nez Perce, controlled a huge area half the size of New York State between the Bitterroot and Blue Mountains. Lewis and Clark would need to pass through these lands to reach the Pacific. The Nez Perce came to this prairie in the late summer to gather commas bulbs. These roots resembled shallots, tasted sweet when cooked, and were a staple of the Nez Perce diet. But on that fall day, as they gathered bulbs for winter, something strange happened. Three boys ran into the Nez

Perce village. In their hands were pieces of colored ribbon. The boys said they had gotten the ribbons from some hairy beasts that had walked out of the mountains on two legs. One of the Nez Perce men went to investigate and soon discovered that the children weren't lying. About one mile from the village, seven strange creatures were slowly crossing the prairie. They looked and walked like men, but they were very hairy, with pale skin and eerily blue eyes, except for the tallest and strongest looking one, whose skin was black. The Nez Perce man assumed the black one must be their leader. But it was one of the pale creatures that gave him a handkerchief, and then another used sign language to ask to be taken to

the village. The entire village gathered to stare at the strange beings from the mountains as they approached. They looked tired and starved, and they smelled terrible. The villagers debated what to do. Some thought they should kill them. They were far too hairy to be human, and their guns would be useful. But then one of the Nez Perce women spoke. Her name was Watkuwis, which meant lost and found. Everyone in the village thought she was insane. Because many years ago, she had been captured by Blackfeet raiders. They enslaved and abused her, before selling her to a white family who were kinder to her. But eventually, she escaped and returned to the Nez Perce. But no one had believed her stories about the hairy white people and the amazing things they had.

Until now. Watkuis told her fellow Nez Perce that these were the kind of people who treated her better than the Blackfeet. She urged her people not to hurt them. And after much discussion, the Nez Perce chiefs decided to help the hairy white men and their Black leader. So on September 20, 1805, the Nez Perce took in Captain Clark, his enslaved servant York, and five other members of the Corps of Discovery.

And then they did the same when Captain Lewis and the rest of the near-starved expedition emerged from the mountains two days later. The explorers spent the next two weeks befriending the Nez Perce, building new canoes for the next leg of their journey and recovering from their 65-mile trek through the Bitterroots. In particular, Lewis and Clark spent hours talking to Chief Twistedhair. He shared his knowledge of the surrounding lands and explained how they could reach the Columbia River and get to the ocean. He promised to care for their horses until they returned in the spring,

and he also agreed to travel with him through the lands of the Nez Perce to ensure their safe passage. So on October 7th, the expedition set off down the Clearwater River in their newly dugout canoes. The river was fast and full of dangerous rapids, but now that they felt the Pacific was within reach, the explorers threw caution to the wind, hurling themselves into raging waters. Within two days, they had reached the junction with Snake River at the border of what is now Idaho and Washington State. On October 16, 1805, they reached the Columbia. The excitement among the men was now rising fast.

The ocean was close. They were almost at their goal. But one last daunting barrier stood in their way. A 55-mile stretch of vicious river narrows. Imagine it's October 1805 at a narrow and dangerous stretch of the Columbia River. You're the most experienced waterman in the Corps of Discovery, and you've already helped the expedition safely navigate some daunting rivers, but nothing like this. You stand on a slippery rock and peer down at the narrow channel ahead. The roar of raging whitewater fills the air. A blistering spray blasts your face.

Captain Clark joins you and looks down at the angry waters. I reckon the channel's barely 45 yards wide. You nod. Yeah, maybe as little as 20 in some spots, but I believe it's passable. Well, I'm glad to hear it. That's my assessment, too. It's the eddies that'll get us, but with some good steering, we can avoid them and get through. Clark straightens his back. Then that's what we'll do.

Look, we all trust you. You should lead. He glances above you and smiles. Hopefully, the Indians will be impressed. You follow his gaze. On both sides of the river, the local natives are lining up to watch this daredevil attempt to ride the narrows. You join the men waiting in the first canoe and paddle away from shore. Get ready, men. Steady as she goes. The river current catches the back of the canoe and pushes you forward. The channel's coming up fast. You lean forward, getting ready.

Soon your canoe passes the point of no return and shoots into the narrows. Your long hair flaps behind you as you cut through the water. Wave after wave crashes over you. The current rocks the canoe side to side. It's even worse than it looked from upriver. Instinct takes over.

You plunge your paddle into the waters over and over, yelling to the men behind you. Left, right, right, left. The current slams into the starboard side of the canoe, tipping it onto an angle. Hard left. With a final push of your oars, the canoe escapes the current

and zips between a whirlpool and a big swell. Suddenly, you burst out of the narrows onto a broad stretch of quieting river. Waves blast out from the sides of the canoe before dying away as your momentum slows. You've survived the rapids.

You glance behind you and see with pleasure that the expedition's other canoes have all followed you safely through too. You stand, turn to face the shocked natives standing on the rocks above, and take a bow. Thanks to Private Pierre Cruzat's skill and courage, the canoes made it through the short narrows. Over the next two days, Cruzat would help the expedition make it through many more miles of dangerous rapids. By the time they cleared the Columbia's most dangerous section, they were no

longer among the Nez Perce. They were now in the lands of the Chinook in what is today western Oregon. The Nez Perce were at war with the Chinook and had warned the captains that they were bad people. But when the Chinook first visited the expedition's camp on the night of October 26, 1805, they seemed friendly. The Chinook had brought food. Private Cresat played his violin. Clark made York dance for their guests' amusement, as he had done throughout the expedition. On November 2, they reached the junction with Sandy River, a few miles east of present-day Portland, Oregon. British traders had already traveled this far up to Columbia, so it was recorded on the expedition's maps. For Lewis and Clark, this was the moment they

returned to the known world. Their maps now showed the way to the ocean. But as they raced towards the Pacific, relations with Chinook began to fray. It was becoming clear that the Chinook were not going to be bought off with a few beads and metals. British trading ships often visited the mouth of the Columbia to swap goods for furs. The Chinooks knew how to haggle with white men and the value of what they had. When it came to buying food, the cheapest meat the expedition could get from the Chinooks was dog. So much to Clark's distaste, fresh dog became a regular feature of the expedition's mealtimes. The rest of the men didn't mind much. They liked the taste of dog, and by now their main concern wasn't dinner,

but reaching the Pacific. They had traveled more than 4,000 miles since leaving St. Charles, Missouri, and now they could almost taste the ocean brine in the air. On November 7th, 1805, a shout went up from their lead canoe. Ocean in view. The men paddled with renewed vigor. The miles passed by faster and faster. It wasn't the actual ocean they had seen,

only the Columbia's estuary. But it was good enough. They had made it. They had found the way to the Pacific. But Lewis and Clark knew it would all mean nothing unless they and their men could survive the coming winter, cross the thousands of miles back east, and return home alive. From Wondery, this is Episode 2 of Lewis and Clark for American History Tellers. On the next episode, the Pacific Northwest winter grinds down the expedition spirits.

Lewis goes in search of the Blackfeet and the explorers begin a long and dangerous journey home. If you like American History Tellers, you can binge all episodes early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.

Prime members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. And before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at wondery.com slash survey. If you'd like to learn more about Lewis and Clark's expedition, we recommend Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose and Lewis and Clark Across the Divide by Carolyn Gilman. American History Tellers is hosted, edited, and produced by me, Lindsey Graham, Are you in trouble with the law? Beckman and Marsha Louis for Wondery. Are you in trouble with the law? Need a lawyer who will fight like hell to keep you out of jail? We defend and we fight just like you'd want your own children defended. Whether you're facing a drug charge, caught

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