LoCoHistory

Charlottesville has many ties to the Lewis and Clark expedition: Meriwether Lewis was born in Albemarle County, William Clark’s family lived here for a time, Thomas Jefferson is the President who sent them on their mission to “… explore the Missouri river, & such principal stream of it, as, by it’s course and communication with the waters of the Pacific ocean, . . . may offer the most direct & practicable water communication across this continent for the purposes of commerce” (1803 instructions), Albemarle is now home to the Lewis and Clark Exploratory Center, and, of course, we have the Lewis and Clark Statue at the intersection of McIntire, Ridge, and Main Streets.

This Friday (19th June) you have an opportunity to recognize another member of the Lewis and Clark expedition: a Lemhi Shoshone woman named Sacajawea (born 1788). She was the only woman on the mission and an invaluable guide, translator, and diplomat (smoothing relations between the anglos and Native Americans). The City of Charlottesville’s Historic Resource Committee will be hosting a dedication of an historic plaque in honor of Sacajawea at 1pm at the “Lewis and Clark” statue. This will be followed by a discussion of “The Role of Art in Interpreting History” at 2pm at the Charlottesville Design Center (at 100 5th St NE).

Quick quiz - where is Albemarle’s only statue of a Native American woman ? (Please email me if you know of others!) She is hard to see, because she’s kneeling behind two men. But if you look closely at the Meriwether Lewis and William Clark statue at the intersection of West Main & Ridge Street (in downtown C-ville), you will see the Shoshone woman. Sacagawea, along with her husband Charbonneau, joined the Lewis & Clark Expedition in 1804, to serve as a translator. Visit the SacajaweaHome website or enter in her name in the search field at the on-line Journal of Lewis & Clark for first-hand accounts about her from the Lewis & Clark diaries.

The Charlottesville memorial is offically titled “Lewis and Clark Memorial,” neglecting Sacagawea all together. It was presented to C-ville in 1919, designed by Charles Keck and financed by Paul Goodloe McIntire. Take a closer look at the base of the statue for a glowing description of the westward mission and iconic images that illustrate their journey (notice the direction that the three figures are facing). To read the official description of the statue, click here.