Toussaint Charbonneau facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Toussaint Charbonneau
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Toussaint Charbonneau in a painting, "Lewis & Clark at Three Forks" by Edgar Samuel Paxson
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| Born | March 22, 1767 |
| Died | August 12, 1843 (aged 76) Fort Mandan, Dakota Territory
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| Occupation | Explorer, fur trapper |
| Spouse(s) | Sacagawea, Otter Woman, among others |
| Children | Jean Baptiste Charbonneau Lisette Charbonneau |
Toussaint Charbonneau (born March 20, 1767 – died August 12, 1843) was a French-Canadian explorer and trader. He was an important member of the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition. He is also well-known as the husband of Sacagawea, who was a key guide and translator for the expedition.
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Early Life and Fur Trading
Toussaint Charbonneau was born in Boucherville, Québec, which is close to Montréal. This area was known for its explorers and the fur trade. Charbonneau had both French and Iroquois family roots. His great-grandmother was the sister of Jacques de Noyon, an explorer who explored the area near Thunder Bay, Ontario, back in 1688.
In the late 1790s, Charbonneau became a fur trader. He lived among the Hidatsa and Mandan Native American tribes. He worked for a while with the North West Company (NWC). This company was a rival to the Hudson Bay Company, which was an English company. The North West Company moved west, allowing them to trade with the Mandan and Hidatsa tribes.
While living with the Hidatsa people, Charbonneau took Sacagawea (also called Bird Woman) as one of his wives. Sacagawea was a Shoshone girl who had been captured by the Hidatsa during a hunting trip. When he married Sacagawea in 1804, he was already married to Otter Woman, another Shoshone woman. By the summer of 1804, Sacagawea was expecting their first child.
Joining the Lewis and Clark Expedition
In November 1804, explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark arrived in the area. They built Fort Mandan and looked for people to join their journey, known as the Corps of Discovery. Lewis and Clark needed translators. They hired Charbonneau on November 4, 1804, because he could speak French and some Hidatsa.
However, Lewis and Clark were even more excited to have his wives, Sacagawea and Otter Woman, join them. With their combined skills, the expedition could communicate in Hidatsa and Shoshone languages. A week later, Charbonneau and his wives moved into Fort Mandan.
On February 11, 1805, at the fort, Charbonneau and Sacagawea's son, Jean-Baptiste, was born. William Clark gave the baby the nickname "Pomp."
Challenges During the Journey
As the expedition prepared, Charbonneau had second thoughts about his role. He had received gifts from the North West Company, which made Lewis and Clark worried. They thought these gifts might be a bribe to stop him from helping the American expedition. Charbonneau was also unhappy about having to stand guard and do manual labor.
On March 12, 1805, he quit the expedition. But he returned on March 17, apologized, and asked to rejoin. He was rehired the next day.
Charbonneau's performance during the journey was mixed. Meriwether Lewis once called him "a man of no peculiar merit." One famous story involves a boat called the "white pirogue." On May 14, 1805, the boat, guided by Charbonneau, was hit by wind and almost flipped over. Charbonneau panicked, and valuable equipment and papers were nearly lost. Luckily, his wife, Sacagawea, helped save these important items. Lewis was very upset, writing that Charbonneau was "perhaps the most timid waterman in the world."
Contributions to the Expedition
Despite some challenges, Charbonneau did help the expedition in several ways.
- He was useful when the group met French trappers from Canada.
- He served as a cook. His recipe for boudin blanc (a sausage made from bison meat) was liked by many.
- He was good at striking deals, which helped the expedition get much-needed horses from the Shoshone people.
Charbonneau and his family stayed with the Lewis and Clark expedition until August 1806. He was paid $500.33, plus a horse and a lodge, for his nineteen months of work. William Clark also wrote a letter to Charbonneau, inviting him to stay in touch. Clark even asked if Jean Baptiste could live with him to be educated.
Life After the Expedition
Clark offered to help Charbonneau and his family settle in St. Louis after the expedition. Charbonneau first said no, preferring to live with the Mandan and Hidatsa tribes. However, the family moved to St. Louis in 1809 so Jean Baptiste could go to school. Charbonneau bought land from Clark but sold it back a few months later. He also left Sacagawea and his two sons, Toussaint and Jean Baptiste, under Clark's care.
In April 1811, Charbonneau began working for Henry M. Brackenridge, another explorer heading up the Missouri River. His older wife, Otter Woman, was with him.
He then worked for Manuel Lisa's Missouri Fur Company at Fort Manuel Lisa Trading Post in present-day North Dakota. During this time, Sacagawea gave birth to a girl named Lisette. Sacagawea died shortly after, on December 20, 1812. Lisette was taken to St. Louis to live with Jean Baptiste. The next year, Charbonneau officially gave William Clark care of his son Jean Baptiste and daughter Lisette.
From 1811 to 1838, Charbonneau also worked as a translator for the government's Upper Missouri Agency's Indian Bureau. He earned $300 to $400 each year. He likely got this job because William Clark was the governor of the Missouri Territory starting in 1813. When Clark died, Charbonneau's government job ended.
Charbonneau was known to have five wives, all young Native American women. This was not unusual for the time. His last known wife, an Assiniboine girl, was 14 when they married in 1837. Charbonneau was over 70 years old then.
Death
The exact date of Charbonneau's death is not known, but he likely died in 1843. This is because Jean-Baptiste settled his father's estate that year. Most people believe he died and was buried at Fort Mandan, North Dakota. However, some think he is buried in Richwoods, Missouri, where a headstone reads "Toussaint Charboneau, 1781–1866." Even though these dates are incorrect, people in Richwoods claim to be his descendants.
See also
In Spanish: Toussaint Charbonneau para niños
