Pierre Dorion Jr. facts for kids
Pierre Dorion Jr. was a brave fur trapper and interpreter who lived a long time ago, from 1782 to 1814. He was part of the Métis people, who are a mix of Indigenous and European cultures. Pierre worked all over what is now the central United States and later in the Pacific Northwest.
Early Life and Journeys
Pierre Dorion Jr. was named after his father, Pierre Dorion Sr.. His mother was from the Yankton Sioux Tribe. Pierre spent much of his early life living with the Yankton people.
In 1804, when Pierre was about 22 years old, he met members of the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition. He was trading goods with about 70 Yankton people near the explorers' camp.
A few years later, in 1806, Pierre married Marie Aioe Dorion. In 1807, he started working for Nathaniel Hale Pryor as an interpreter. An interpreter helps people who speak different languages understand each other. Pierre joined a trading trip up the Missouri River to trade with the Sioux nations. There were 10 other men and a small boat on this journey.
In 1809, another fur trader named Manuel Lisa hired Pierre. Pierre helped Lisa's traders travel safely through different Sioux tribes because he could speak their languages. While working at Fort Lisa, Pierre and his family faced some money problems. In June 1810, Pierre, Marie, and their two young children left Fort Lisa and moved to St. Louis.
Working for the Pacific Fur Company
In the winter of 1810-1811, Pierre Dorion was the only person in St. Louis who could speak the Sioux languages. This made him very important to fur trading companies. Both Manuel Lisa and W. Price Hunt wanted him to work for them.
In the end, Hunt managed to hire Pierre for his company, the Pacific Fur Company. A special condition was that Marie and their two children had to come along too. Hunt's group planned to follow the same path that Lewis and Clark had taken towards the Pacific Ocean. After leaving Fort Osage, Marie thought about staying with the Osage Nation people they had just met, but she decided to continue the journey.
Later, the expedition met a large group of Lakota and Yankton warriors. A battle was almost started, but Pierre's language skills helped avoid it. He translated for Hunt during talks with the Sioux leaders. The expedition promised not to trade with the Arikara, Mandan, and Gros Ventre nations, who were enemies of the Sioux. After this, the expedition was allowed to continue their journey.
Manuel Lisa and his own group caught up with Hunt's expedition in June. There was a tense moment between Pierre and Lisa because Pierre owed Lisa's company money. A fight between them was stopped by others who stepped in.
Final Journey and Legacy
After many difficult travels, Pierre Dorion and his family finally reached Fort Astoria in 1812. This fort was a trading post on the Pacific Coast.
In 1813, Pierre, Marie, and their children were sent to the Snake River as part of a group of trappers led by John Reed. Early in 1814, Pierre Dorion, John Reed, and five other trappers were killed by a group of either Northern Shoshone or Bannocks.
After Pierre's death, his brave wife Marie and their two children began an amazing journey back to the safety of the Pacific Fur Company posts. Their story is well-known in the history of the American West.
