American History Tellers - Lewis and Clark | Into the Wild | 1

Episode Date: April 13, 2022

In 1803, Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark began a westward journey that would transform America. Their mission was to head up the Missouri River and find a route through the uncharted west to the Pacific Ocean. The journey was full of risk. But no danger loomed larger in their minds than the Sioux – the powerful Native American confederacy of the plains. And it wouldn't be long before the two crossed paths.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 August 1804 and you're walking across a vast pancake flat grassland somewhere in the middle of North America. The sun is beating down and the hot wind blasts your face. Ahead of you, Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark stride toward the only hill that's visible for miles. They are the leaders of this expedition, but you wouldn't know it to look at them. Wearing buckskin pants and white linen frocks, they look just like you. The only hint of their seniority are the round, coqueted ribbons on their black felt hats.

It's been three months since you and the rest of the Corps of Discovery set out on the Missouri River on a mission to explore uncharted U.S. territory and reach the Pacific. But right now, the expedition is investigating a strange piece of information it learned from local native tribes. You look at the lonely hill ahead. There's something eerie about its isolation and the mass of birds that swarm around it. You pick up the pace to draw level with Captain Clark.

Captain? Yes, Sergeant. You think it's true what the Indians said? Tiny men with big heads live on this mountain and kill all trespassers? Clark shoots you a withering look. No, of course not. It's obviously just savage superstition. But didn't President Jefferson himself tell Captain Lewis that we may encounter woolly

mammoths? And if that's possible, then why not these little devils? The president has access to the most expert information available about these lands, and he made no mention of any tribe of tiny men with big heads. But even if they do exist, our rifles will make short work of them, believe me. You reach the bottom of the hill and follow Clark up it steep slope. As you approach the peak, the birds startle and scatter. Clark stops and smiles. Okay, see, Sergeant, there's no 18-inch man waiting here to kill us. This is just a handsome view of the prairie. Taking in the sight, it is beautiful. The plains stretch endlessly beneath a big blue sky. The land is so flat,

you can see vast herds of buffalo on the move in the distance. I agree, it is magnificent, Captain. I don't believe I've ever seen a place where there is not a single tree in sight. But as you say these words, Clark's face falls, and so does yours. Not a single tree in sight, just grassland, as far as the eye can see. That means no fuel for cooking, no fuel for warmth, nowhere to shelter from the elements, and no hiding place from the Indian war parties that roam these plains. Very suddenly, the reality of this expedition hits you.

You are a stranger in a strange land. You and the rest of the Corps of Discovery are alone out here, exposed and vulnerable. You're more than 900 miles by river from the nearest American settlement, and your journey has barely even begun. To get back home, you'll need to cover another 7,000 miles. But first, you and the rest of the expedition need to make it through these sprawling plains alive. From the team behind American History Tellers comes a new book, The Hidden History of the White House. Each chapter will bring you inside the fierce power struggles, intimate moments, and shocking scandals that shaped our nation.

From the War of 1812 to Watergate. Available now wherever you get your books. From Wondering 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'm Lindsey Graham, and this is American History Tellers. Our history, your story. On our show, we'll take you to the events, times, and people that shaped America and Americans, our values, our struggles, and our dreams. We'll put you in the shoes of everyday people as history was being made, and we'll show you how the events of the times affected them, their families, and affects you now.

In 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark left St. Louis and headed west into the unknown. Their mission was to discover a river route to the Pacific and to find out what lurked in North America's unexplored interior. Their adventure would capture the American imagination and lead the way for the nation's westward expansion. It would be a triumph of human endeavor and national ambition. But for one of its leaders, the journey would also end in disappointment and tragedy. A note to listeners. During this series, you'll hear the names of many Native American people and nations. We've done our best to be respectful of the names those nations used to identify themselves. But in some cases, for the sake of historical accuracy, we've opted to use older

terminology that the Lewis and Clark expedition would have used themselves. For example, you'll hear us refer to the Lakota as the Teton Sioux, as Lewis and Clark did. In other instances, we've relied on modern scholarship and contemporary Native American sources to strive for more accurate pronunciations of certain names. That's the case when you hear us say Sacagawea instead of the more commonly heard Sacagawea. This is Episode 1, Into the Wild. In the summer of 1802, a package arrived at the Virginia plantation owned by President Thomas Jefferson. Inside was a copy of Scottish explorer Alexander Mackenzie's account of his

expedition from Quebec to the Pacific. It was the first recorded crossing of the continent north of Mexico. Jefferson devoured Mackenzie's book, but it sparked mixed emotions. He thrilled at the fresh insights into the uncharted West, but he was alarmed by Mackenzie's call for Britain to forge a coast-to-coast trade route and use it to dominate North America's lucrative fur trade. For Jefferson, this was dire news. The president believed it was America's destiny to become an empire of liberty that stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Now it was clear that the British had similar territorial aspirations, and thanks to McKenzie, they had a head start, too.

So Jefferson sprang into action. He began by seeking a way to get control of Louisiana, the vast territory in the middle of the continent. It belonged to the Spanish, but Jefferson knew Spain had secretly agreed to cede it to France, so he made the French an offer they couldn't refuse. Sell Louisiana, or the U.S. would team up with Britain to take it from them. In April 1803, France took the deal. It agreed to sell Louisiana to America the moment Spain handed over the territory. The price would be $15 million, or $370 million in today's money. Louisiana would nearly double the size of the United States.

It was largely unexplored by Europeans, and its borders were vague. It went as far as the Rocky Mountains, as far north as the tributaries of the Missouri River, and Jefferson had ambitious plans to match its size. He not only wanted to discover how far America's borders now went, he wanted to find a water route to the Pacific. He imagined this route would go up the Missouri, over the Rockies, and down the Columbia River to the ocean. It would connect east and west by water and strengthen America's claim to the Pacific Northwest, the last unclaimed territory in North America, which every power on the continent wanted.

The Russians were encroaching from Alaska, the British and Americans sized it up from the east, and the Spanish looked eagerly north from California. If Jefferson could find that water passage between east and west, the balance of power in North America would shift decisively to the United States. It would save months off the time it took to send goods around the tip of South America to reach markets in Asia. It would also allow the U.S. to dominate trade in the continent's most valuable export, fur. To find that route, Jefferson needed a Mackenzie of his own, a brave explorer willing to venture into the unknown. He knew just the man, his private secretary, Captain Meriwether Lewis.

Meriwether Lewis was born in August 1774 in Virginia, just before the War of Independence. War defined his childhood. His father spent the first years of Lewis's life away fighting the British. At just six years old, Lewis watched British troops sweep through his community, torching crops and slaughtering livestock. The experience left him a committed anti-British American patriot. Lewis then lost his father at an early age to pneumonia. At the age of eight, he went to live with his stepfather in a colony in Georgia, where he learned how to hunt and survive on the frontier. But back in Virginia, he was set for a life of comfort. When he turned 18, he inherited his father's estate,

a 2,000-acre tobacco plantation with 24 enslaved workers. It was called Locust Hill. Jefferson's plantation was right next door. But Lewis didn't want the steady life of a Virginia planter. So in 1794, he joined the army, served on the frontier, and rose through the ranks to captain. Then, in March 1801, Jefferson became president and made Lewis his private secretary. To Jefferson, Lewis was the ideal person to lead his expedition. He had the necessary survival skills. From his army days, he knew how to lead men and how to negotiate with Native Americans. And he shared Jefferson's political views. But Lewis was also prone to depression and bouts of heavy drinking. He had even been court-martialed after drunkenly challenging a superior officer to a duel.

But for Jefferson, Lewis's bravery and calmness under pressure more than compensated for his flaws. As for Lewis, he didn't need to be asked twice to lead the expedition. It was just the kind of grand adventure he'd always dreamed of. So even before France had agreed to the Louisiana purchase, Jefferson and Lewis began planning the expedition. Their preparations would take more than a year. Lewis focused on gathering supplies. He knew the expedition would have to leave with everything it needed. There would be no opportunities for a resupply once headed into the wilderness. He bought scientific instruments for accurate mapping,

guns for hunting and defense, and whiskey and tobacco for morale. And while Lewis shopped, Jefferson finalized the expedition's goals. He made it clear to Lewis that there was one overriding priority, to find the way to the Pacific. Jefferson believed the sources of Missouri and Columbia rivers would lie close enough together to form a transcontinental water route, and he wanted Lewis to find it. But there were secondary goals, too. Many of those were scientific, cataloging wildlife, identifying mineral deposits, and learning more about Native American tribal cultures. There was also one vital political goal, to forge relations with these native tribes. The lands the expedition would enter were home to complex indigenous societies that had lived there for thousands of years. Many of them had already met, traded, and fought with other advancing colonial powers.

So Jefferson expected it would be many decades before white Americans could settle the West. Until then, the U.S. would need the native population on its side. But many of the tribes were under British influence. Jefferson wanted Lewis to convince them to ally with America instead. Finally, in August 1803, Lewis's journey began. He set off from Pittsburgh with a 55-foot keelboat of his own design and a pirogue full of supplies. The pirogue was a large rowboat with a mast and a sail, and in Wheeling, Virginia, he bought a second one. The expedition, he knew, would be carrying a lot of supplies. His plan was to go down the Ohio River, then up the Mississippi to St. Louis, where the expedition would officially begin. But first, he had a stop to make.

On October 15, 1803, Lewis reached Louisville, Kentucky, a village of a few hundred people by the falls of the Ohio. Waiting for him there was an old friend, a rugged, red-headed 33-year-old named William Clark. Clark was born in August 1770, four years before Lewis. His family were also Virginia gentry, but they moved to Kentucky when he was small. He and Lewis had first met in the Army in 1795, when Lewis was assigned to Clark's rifle unit.

Clark was not as well-educated as Lewis, but he made up for it elsewhere. He was a superior waterman, could make maps, and was a more experienced leader. He was also a level-headed balance to the headstrong Lewis. But what mattered most was that the two men trusted each other. Clark would also bring along with him an enslaved black man named York. York was about Clark's age and had spent most of his life as Clark's servant. Like many enslaved people of the time, he had no last name. But many more men than just these three would be required by the expedition. Now that Lewis and Clark were united, they quickly began to assemble the rest of their team.

Imagine it's October 15, 1803, in Louisville, Kentucky. You've just returned from the woods. You've got your long-barreled Kentucky rifle in one hand and two dead rabbits slung over your shoulders. You're a woodsman in your mid-twenties, and you've spent most of your life living on the frontier. Up ahead, you see people gathering on the riverbank. You join the crowd and peer over their heads to see a man in a military uniform, stepping off a large keelboat to greet William Clark. Your heart skips a beat.

You realize that this must be Captain Lewis. Everyone along the Ohio has been talking about his imminent arrival for weeks. You've already asked Captain Clark if he'll let you join their expedition. He's given you a tentative yes, but Captain Lewis will have the final say. You push your way to the front of the crowd and step forward. Clark notices you and waves you over. Oh, good timing. Captain Lewis, this is one of the young men I wrote to you about. I believe he'll be a useful addition to our expedition. He's apprenticed as a blacksmith. Lewis looks at your rifle and rabbits. I can see you can hunt too.

Yes, I do, sir. But let's prove your marksmanship in person, shall we? I want to see you shoot. See that bent tree over there on the bank? You do. It's about a hundred yards away. Shoot it. From here. You start loading your rifle. It's a hard target. Only a skilled marksman could hit something that far away with your gun.

You begin loading and raise your rifle. The crowd behind you goes quiet. You aim at the bent tree, place your finger on the trigger, and fire. You're delighted to see splinters erupt from the tree. The crowd cheers and you grin. Lewis nods approvingly. Well, young man, that is not bad. Not bad at all. Now tell me, why do you want to join the expedition? For the adventure. I want to see new places. What about the land warrant you'll learn? You've heard about the warrants. What about the land warrant you'll learn? You've heard about the warrants.

Everyone in the expedition will get a generous bounty of land, comparable to the ones given to the veterans of the Revolutionary War. That's not why you want in. Oh, I welcome it, sir, but I've lived on the Kentucky frontier since I was a boy. I don't imagine settling down, and I don't imagine working the land. At least not anytime soon. Lewis circles you, eyeing you up and down. Instinctively, you straighten your back.

How old are you? Twenty-five or thereabouts? Married? No, sir. Military experience? None, sir. Lewis steps away and confers with Clark. You stand rooted to the spot, your nerves jangling.

Finally, Lewis approaches and sticks out his hand. Welcome to the core of discovery, Private. You grin ear to ear. Lewis and Clark are about to go on one of the greatest adventures any American has ever undertaken. And you're going to be right there with them. William Bratton was one of the first nine men recruited into what Lewis and Clark called the Corps of Discovery. After they left Louisville, the recruitment drive continued. By the time they reached St. Louis in December 1803, there were 29 people in the Corps, the two captains, Clark's slave York, 25 enlisted soldiers, and a civilian translator. Also with them was Lewis's Newfoundland dog.

Lewis's plan was to head up the Missouri before hunkering down for winter. But when he arrived in St. Louis, that plan was soon dashed. Spain had yet to hand over control of St. Louis. It wouldn't become U.S. territory until the spring, and the Spanish were not going to let Lewis and Clark proceed before then. So the Corps camped out on the American side of the Mississippi, near the mouth of the Missouri, and used the time as best they could. Lewis bought more supplies and befriended the local tribes. Clark focused on keeping the men busy and consulting fur trappers about what lay upriver. But the trappers' reports alarmed him. They all had frightening tales about a large confederacy of several tribes called the Sioux. According to the trappers, the Sioux were hostile, well-armed, and demanded high

tolls from everyone using the river. The news chilled Clark to the bone. If the Sioux liked to rob fur trappers, he could only imagine what they would do when they saw the core of Discovery and its enormous bounty of supplies crossing their land. The expedition would be carrying the greatest arsenal of armaments and goods ever seen on the Missouri River. It would be a most tempting target for the Sioux or anyone else. The kind of target worth killing for. 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 up on a murder rap, accused of committing war crimes, look no further than Paul Bergeron. All the big guys go to Bergeron because he gets everybody off. You name it, Paul can do it. Need to launder some money? Broker a deal with a drug cartel? Take out a witness? From Wondery, the makers of Dr. Death and Over My Dead Body,

comes a new series about a lawyer who broke all the rules. Isn't it funny how witnesses disappear or how evidence doesn't show up or somebody doesn't testify correctly? In order to win at all costs. If Paul asked you to do something, it wasn't a request. It was an order. I'm your host, Brandon James Jenkins. Follow Criminal Attorney on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to Criminal Attorney early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.

I'm Tristan Redmond, 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 Podcast 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 March 9th, 1804, the Spanish roadblock to the core of discovery finally lifted. At a ceremony in St. Louis, Captain Meriwether Lewis watched the Spanish governor lower his nation's flag. For the next 24 hours,

the French tricolored flag flew over the city. Then, at last, the American flag went up, with its 15 stars. Louisiana was now U.S. soil. As winter thawed to spring, the captains made frantic, last-minute preparations. Finally, at 3.30 p.m. on May 21, 1804, the expedition set forth from St. Charles, a small village on the Missouri just outside St. Louis. On the banks of the river, local people cheered as the expedition's keelboat and two pirogues turned to head upstream. As the men at the oars strained against the current, the captains watched the waving crowd

recede from view. Civilization as they knew it was now behind them. But forward progress was slow. The Missouri seemed determined to force them back. The strong current sent fallen trees into their path. Sandbars, rocks, and whirlpools were constant threats. And the sluggish keelboat didn't help. It was weighed down with more than ten tons of cargo. To avoid obstacles, the men had to race from side to side to shift the boat's weight and help it turn. When the wind was behind them, they could raise a sail. But when it wasn't, they rowed. And only then, when the water was deep enough. When it got too shallow, the men used long poles to push the boat forward. And when that

failed, they got out and dragged it along from the riverbank with a heavy rope. It was relentless, back-breaking work. On good days, they could make twenty miles. On bad days, they could count the miles on a single hand. Each night they camped and ate. The food ration was on a strict rotation. Hominy, corn, and lard one day, salt pork and flour the next. They also hunted and fished to enliven the mealtimes and conserve their rations. But the hard labor, limited diet, and dirty river

water exacted a toll. By mid-June, most of the men had boils erupting on their skin. Several had dysentery. Swarms of biting mosquitoes and gnats compounded their sickness. The waves of blood-sucking insects were so relentless that the men would smear buffalo fat all over their exposed flesh for protection. On June 26, covered in sores, boils, bites, and grease, the expedition reached the Kansas River. It had taken 37 days to get there. So far, they had only made it 340 miles upriver, and they still had a long way to go.

Lewis and Clark wanted to winter at the villages of the Mandan people, close to present-day Washburn, North Dakota, and few, if any, U.S. citizens had ever gone there before. Most of the white people who had gone up the Missouri at this time were French Canadians, and as such the expedition would be the first contact between agents of the U.S. government and the native tribes who lived on the Missouri. But the Corps weren't encountering any natives. The only people they met were trappers

heading back to St. Louis in boats loaded with furs. One of these was Pierre Dorian, a 55-year-old Frenchman who had lived with the Yankton Sioux and could speak their language. The captains hired him on the spot, hoping he could help them befriend the Yanktons. But the native people remained elusive. On July 21st, the expedition passed the mouth of the Platte River, a few miles south of present-day Omaha, Nebraska. As they moved past the Platte, the landscape changed, the woods giving way to open, treeless prairie. It was beautiful, shocking, and intimidating all at once for most of the expedition's crew.

They were used to tree-filled landscapes where wood for burning and building was readily available. But it was then, on these prairies, as the sun set on August 2nd, that they met their first natives. A small party from the local tribe, the Otoes, approached their camp. After an exchange of gifts, the two sides agreed to a council. At 10 a.m. the next morning, the Oto delegation arrived. The Corps of Discovery soldiers performed a dress parade for them, marching and firing in unison. Then Lewis, in full dress uniform, gave a long speech,

which the expedition's interpreter attempted to translate. Lewis informed the Oto chiefs that their lands now belonged to the United States, and their new great chief was President Thomas Jefferson. He couldn't tell what the Otoes made of this news, so he pressed on. He told them America was their friend and would open a trading post where they could exchange furs for the supplies they needed. He also invited the chiefs to come to Washington and meet Jefferson in person. Lewis then told them that Jefferson ordered them not to harm white men moving through these lands and that they must make peace with neighboring tribes. But then Lewis made a threat. If the Oto displeased Jefferson, their new great chief would consume them as the fire consumes the grass of the plains. He would also stop all trade and leave the Oto without guns, powder, and other goods they needed.

Finally, Captain Clark handed out gifts, loincloths, some paint, and medals adorned with Jefferson's face. The Otos responded positively, then asked for gunpowder and whiskey. The captains agreed. They felt their mission to befriend the tribes was off to a good start. But as they left the Otos, tragedy struck. A member of the Corps, Sergeant Charles Floyd, came down with terrible abdominal pains. Lewis had received medical training while preparing for the expedition and diagnosed bilious colic, a condition caused by gallstones. No treatment existed. On August 20th, Floyd died. He was either 21 or 22. The men carried his body to the top of a hill overlooking the Missouri, buried him, and planted a red cedar post to mark the grave.

That night they camped near an unnamed river, which they dubbed the Floyd. Nine days later, near present-day Yankton, South Dakota, the captains held another council with the Yankton Sioux. Pierre Dorian, the French fur trapper they hired as an interpreter, had told them the Yankton Sioux. Pierre Dorian, the French fur trapper they hired as an interpreter, had told them the Yanktons were peaceful. It was the Lakota, or Teton Sioux, further upriver, who were hostile. And the Yanktons may have been friendly, but they were disappointed by the expedition's gifts. They had hoped for gunpowder. Instead, they got an American flag and a bicorn hat. The captains also upset the Yanktons by declaring one chief superior to the others.

All the same, the Corps managed to part with the tribe on friendly terms. But as they left, one of the chiefs warned the captains that while the Yanktons listened to them, they should not expect the same of the Tetons. But there wasn't just danger ahead of the Corps. There was danger behind them, too. The Spanish were far from pleased by France's decision to sell Louisiana to the United States and were growing concerned about the implications of Lewis and Clark's expedition. Spain feared the expedition would

strengthen the Americans' claim on the Pacific Northwest and attempt to turn the native people against them. So Spanish authorities assembled a force of more than 50 men and sent them out from Santa Fe, New Mexico, then still part of the territory of New Spain. Their orders were to hunt down the Lewis and Clark expedition and stop them by any means necessary. In the first week of September, the Spanish force rode into the Pawnee Indian Village in south-central Nebraska. They asked the Pawnee chiefs and French traders about the expedition.

Their traders reported hearing of some Americans carrying goods upriver, but none of them knew where. The Spanish were left in a quandary. They had no idea where the expedition was, and knew they could spend weeks hunting for it without success. So instead of continuing the chase, the Spanish turned back, not realizing they were only two days right away from catching up with a slow-moving American expedition. So while the Spanish headed back to Santa Fe, Lewis and Clark pushed on into Teton territory. And on September 23rd, they made their first contact.

Two days later, the Teton chiefs and a large band of warriors arrived at the Corps of Discovery's camp in what's now Pier, South Dakota. The captains were determined to make a strong impression. Imagine it's September 25, 1804. You're an interpreter, and you're sitting in a pirogue that's being rowed by three Corps of Discovery soldiers toward the eastern shore of the Missouri River, deep in the heart of Sioux territory.

With you in the pirogue sits Captain Clark and three Teton Sioux chiefs. No one's happy. You spent the morning translating between the captains and the chiefs. It did not go well. You struggled to bridge the language divide, and the chiefs were unimpressed by the captains' gifts, medals, and bicorn hats. Captain Clark's demand that they make peace with the Omaha's went ignored, and then the chiefs got aggressive. So the captains had them forced off the keelboat and into this pirogue. Clark turns to you, tension creased on his face. Once we reach the shore, thank them, and then let's make it a quick goodbye.

You nod. You're eager to leave too. There are more than a hundred Teton warriors on the shore, waiting for their chief's safe return. As the pirogue pulls up to the riverbank, you climb out and help the soldiers pull it ashore by its tow line. The chiefs and Clark get out. Clark moves to say goodbye, but before he can, one of the chiefs confronts him in angry tones. You scramble to translate. He says we can't leave. There's a commotion behind you. You turn to see three Sioux warriors grabbing the pirogue's towline

away from the American soldiers. For a moment, you're frozen in fear, but then you hear Clark shout at you. Keep translating! You refocus on the angry chief, who's still barking demands. He says our gifts are insufficient. We have insulted him and his people. He demands proper tribute. He wants a pirogue filled with guns and

goods. Anger flashes on Clark's face. Tell him no. You do, but that only makes the chief angrier. The chief says this is his people's river and we can't proceed, and that you are the, um... I'm the what? The hideous offspring of a flea-ridden dog. Clark snaps. He draws his sword. All men to arms! The soldiers pull out their pistols.

The Teton warriors draw their bows and aim their arrows. Out on the river, you hear Captain Lewis ordering the keelboat's cannon to be loaded. Clark waves his sword aggressively. Visions of arrows piercing your body flash through your mind. Clark orders you to translate a message to the Sioux chief. Our expedition must proceed, and it will proceed. We are not squaws. We are warriors. We have enough power in our boats to kill 20 of your nations in a single day. If you do not let us go, you will feel our power. Your voice shakes with fear as you try to translate Clark's message. For a minute, both sides stand staring at each other, weapons at the ready.

One wrong move now could bring disaster. But then, another of the Teton chiefs steps forward and yanks the pirogue's towline from the warriors holding onto it. The Sioux slowly back away, and your landing party climbs back into the boat and pushes off from shore. A moment of danger has passed, but you are sure it's only just for now. The showdown on the banks of the Missouri River left bitter feelings on both sides. Lewis and Clark spent four more days with the Tetons, but distrust now clouded every encounter. President Jefferson had told Lewis that the Sioux were the single most important tribe to bring under American influence.

Jefferson regarded them as the largest and most powerful of all the Native American societies that lived along the Missouri. He believed that an alliance with the Sioux would be vital to asserting America's control of the region. But after the clash on the banks of the Missouri, Lewis and Clark's hope of building an alliance between America and the Sioux were over. The Tetons would remain hostile. The president had ordered Lewis to build diplomatic ties with Native peoples, and he had already failed in that mission.

So as the core of the discovery set off north towards the Mandan villages, Lewis vowed that he would redeem himself with the next tribes they meet. President Jefferson was relying on him to unite the natives behind America. He could not afford to fail again. How did Birkenstocks go from a German cobbler's passion project 250 years ago to the Barbie movie today? Who created that bottle of red Sriracha with a green top that's permanently living in your fridge? Did you know that the Air Jordans were initially banned by the NBA?

We'll explore all that and more in The Best Idea Yet, a brand new podcast from Wondery and T-Boys. This is Nick. This is Jack. And we've covered over a thousand episodes of pop business news stories on our daily podcast. We've identified the most viral products of all time. And they're wild origin stories that you had no idea about.

From the Levi's 501 jeans to Legos. Come for the products you're obsessed with. Stay for the business insights that are gonna blow up your group chat. Jack,, Super Mario Brothers, best-selling video game of all time. How'd they do it? Nintendo never fires anyone, ever. Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to The Best Idea Yet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus. In a quiet suburb, a community is shattered by the death of a beloved wife and mother.

But this tragic loss of life quickly turns into something even darker. Her husband had tried to hire a hitman on the dark web to kill her. And she wasn't the only target. Because buried in the depths of the internet is The Kill List, a cache of chilling documents

containing names photos addresses and specific instructions for people's murders this podcast is the true story of how i ended up in a race against time to warn those who lives were in danger and it turns out convincing a total stranger someone wants them dead is not easy follow kill list on the wandery app or wherever you get your podcasts you can listen to kill list and more exhibit c true crime shows like morbid early and ad free right now by joining wandery plus check out exhibit c in the wandery app for all your true crime listening listening. On October 8th, 1804, as the Lewis and Clark expedition pushed north up the Missouri River, they met another Native American tribe, the Arikara. Lewis had learned that the Arikara were at war with the Mandans. After the failed attempt to befriend the Tetons, he was eager to

redeem himself and offered to broker peace. The Arikara welcomed the offer, but warned Lewis that they very much doubted he could deliver on it. Eleven days later, on October 19th, the expedition came across another Indian settlement. It was the first of the Mandan villages, a collection of large, domed-earth huts perched high on a bluff overlooking the river. It had taken the Corps of Discovery 151 days to get here from St. Charles. They had traveled more than 1,600 miles, watched one of their party die, and nearly came to blows with the Teton Sioux.

Now they had reached the final location marked on their maps. But the place was a ghost town. The lodges were falling down, and inside the bones of long-dead people and animals littered the ground. The Mandans had abandoned the village, driven north by Sioux and Arikara raids and a devastating outbreak of smallpox. The expedition proceeded on through what's now North Dakota. They passed the site of present-day Bismarck and followed the Missouri as it veered west. Close to Knife River in a wooded area, they found two

surviving Mandan villages and three settlements of the Hidatsuta people who lived close by. Although they were the last place on Lewis and Clark's maps, the Mandan villages were the epicenter of trade in the Great Plains. Each village contained dozens of large domed lodges that housed up to four families and their animals. In all, 3,000 people lived in these Mandan villages, more than double the population of St. Louis. And every summer, people from across the plains converged on them, swelling the population even further. From the west came the Crow and Cheyenne,

from the south, the Arapaho and Kiowa, from the north, the Cree and British fur traders, and from the east, French businessmen from St. Louis. They would spend the summer days hawking and haggling over everything from British guns and Spanish mules to European combs and Cheyenne leather. At night, the traders gambled, courted, danced, and feasted. And as hosts of this thriving marketplace, the Mandans profited handsomely. So when the Corps of Discovery arrived, the Mandans profited handsomely. So when the Corps of Discovery arrived, the Mandans welcomed them. They liked the American promise to increase trade and were

delighted to hear that the captains had made peace with the Uricara. For Captain Lewis, after things had gone so wrong with the Teton Sioux, this felt like a breakthrough. He imagined it would now be possible to unite the Plains tribes under the U.S. flag, isolate the Tetons, and force them into compliance. Confident that their peacemaking was done, Lewis and Clark ordered their men to build winter housing, a fort just south of the Mandan villages. And while the Corps began constructing Fort Mandan, as they called it, the captains questioned the local chiefs about what to expect when they resumed their journey west. The chiefs told them that there was a river far away that ran close to the Missouri. The captains were delighted to hear this.

They assumed this distant river must be the Columbia, which meant the fabled transcontinental water route was real. But the chiefs also warned them that there were high mountains to cross, and to get past these peaks, the expedition would need horses. But of course, if they wanted horses, they needed to buy them from the Shoshone people who lived near the mountains. Lewis and Clark digested this new information. The mountains would prove formidable, but not a complete obstacle. Not if they could find a way to communicate with the Shoshone.

Imagine it's November 1804. You're a French fur trapper walking through the forest near the Mandan villages. There's a sharp chill in the air, and the frosted ground crunches under your feet. All around you, American soldiers are felling trees and chopping wood to build their winter fort. One of the soldiers stops to wipe his brow and notices you. He shouts something at you in English, which you don't understand. You speak just enough English to tell him why you're here. I am to see Captain Lewis. The soldier grunts and beckons you to follow. He leads you to a nearby clearing and introduces you to two men, Captain Lewis and the expedition's French to English translator. Lewis shakes your hand and the rest of the conversation is mediated by the translator.

Welcome, sir. How can I help you? You grin. You misunderstand. It is I who have come to help you. Ah, and how so? I speak the Hidatsuda language, and I wish to offer my services as an interpreter, for the appropriate compensation, of course. Lewis looks unsure, though.

We've been getting by so far. Getting by, yes, but just barely. Captain Lewis, I know the Hidatsa. I live among them. I've even bought my wives from them. But Lewis looks unimpressed. Well, it is an offer I will think about. You bite your lip.

You haven't trudged all the way out here in the cold to return home with nothing. This expedition is clearly well-funded, and you want in. An idea flashes in your mind. Well, Captain Lewis, tell me, what are your plans when spring arrives? Well, we'll continue upriver, to the mountains, and seek the Shoshone's help when crossing them. Ah, then you will be in need of someone who speaks the language of the Shoshone, will you not? Oh, you speak Shoshone too? No, but my wives are Shoshone. The Hidatsa captured them in a raid and sold them to me. My wife, Sakagawiya, can translate for you. Louis looks doubtful. Translate how? Does she speak English? No, she speaks to me in Hidatsa.

I could then translate that to French, and your man here could translate to English. Shoshone to Hidatsa to French to English. I doubt any message would survive. Do you have another option? Lewis shoots you a look and then shakes his head. You smile. Then I and Sakagawiya will join you. And her baby. A baby? She will give birth soon, before spring. It won't be a problem, though. So you'll take us on your voyage? Maybe. I'll consult with Captain Clark. I'm sorry, what was your wife's name again? Sakaga Weah. It means bird woman. Okay, we'll come back with Sakaga Weah and we'll give you an answer. You leave the

conversation rubbing your hands with glee. You figure they need you and your wife so badly that you'll earn a handsome sum for this job. Toussaint Charbonneau didn't make as much as he hoped. His initial demands included the right to as many provisions as he wished, which outraged the captain so much they decided they'd rather do without him. But after Charbonneau begged for forgiveness, he rejoined the expedition with his 15-year-old Shoshone wife, Sakagawiya. Lewis regarded Charbonneau as an inept coward and never warmed to him. Clark disagreed and would become fond of the Frenchman and his young wife. But none of that mattered as much as the expedition's need to communicate with the Shoshone. Without the Shoshone's help, the core of Discovery

would never get past the Rockies. But that challenge was still to come. First, the explorers had to wait for winter to pass. And as the snow fell and the river turned to ice, the fragile peace between tribes unraveled. At the end of November, Sioux and Arikara raiders attacked a Mandan hunting party, killing one and wounding two. This incident shattered any truce and dented the Mandans' trust in the Americans. The Mandans had taken Lewis's promise of peace at face value and let their guard down. Now one of them was dead. The captains tried to repair the damage, but the Mandans were no longer listening. War with the Arikara continued. But despite this, the Mandans remained friendly with the damage, but the Mandans were no longer listening. War with the Uruk-Ura continued.

But despite this, the Mandans remained friendly with the expedition, which was fortunate for Lewis and Clark, because by January they were utterly dependent on the Mandans for food. It was the coldest winter the Americans had ever experienced. Game was scarce, nothing was growing, and even venturing outside to answer the call of nature risked frostbite. To put food on their plates, Private John Shields offered his services to the Mandans and Hidatsa as a blacksmith. He made hatchets and repaired farming equipment. In return, they gave the expedition corn. Then, on February 11, 1805, Lewis is called on to be the midwife to Sacagawea. The birth was long and painful, and at times Lewis feared his Shoshone translator wasn't going to make it.

But both Sacagawea and her newborn son survived. By March, the snow was starting to melt and the ice on the river breaking up. The time for the Corps of Discovery to resume its journey was nearing. And then, on April 7, the expedition said goodbye to the Mandans and got back into their boats. But this time, the Corps weren't all going the same way. One small group was going back to St. Louis in the keelboat, which was now loaded with documents and specimens collected so far. They carried with them Louis' letters to the President, soil and water samples, and even a live prairie dog.

This group's mission was to ensure that this critical information reached President Jefferson, so that even if the main party didn't survive, the expedition would not have been in vain. So as that splinter group pushed off downstream, Lewis, Clark, and the main party resumed their journey up the Missouri and into lands unknown. From Wondery, this is Episode 1 of Lewis and Clark for American History Tellers. On our next episode, the Corps of Discovery go in search of the Shoshone, grizzly bears attack, and the expedition comes face-to-face with its biggest obstacle yet, the towering Rocky Mountains. 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 for Airship. Audio editing by Molly Bach. Sound design by Derek Behrens. Music by Lindsey Graham. This episode is written by Tristan Donovan. Edited by Dorian Marina. Our senior producer is Andy Herman. Executive producers are Jenny Lauer-Veckman and Marsha Louis for Wondery. In the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Peru and New Zealand, lies a tiny volcanic island. It's a little-known British territory called Pitcairn, and it harboured a deep, dark scandal.

There wouldn't be a girl on Pitcairn once they reach the age of 10 that would still a virgin. It just happens to all of us. I'm journalist Luke Jones, and for almost two years, I've been investigating a shocking story that has left deep scars on generations of women and girls from Pitcairn. When there's nobody watching, nobody going to report it, people will get away with what they can get away with. In the Pitcairn trials, I'll be uncovering a story of abuse and the fight for justice that has brought a unique, lonely, Pacific island

to the brink of extinction. Listen to the Pitcairn Trials exclusively on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts or Spotify.