Profile of George Drouillard

Métis individuals like Drouillard had a shared European and Indigenous ancestry that allowed them to move between both communities, although they often experienced discrimination as well. The Métis pictured here lived in Montana and Canada, likely familiar with the same Missouri river communities.

circa 1890, Montana Historical Society

On November 11, 1803, Meriwether Lewis arrived at Fort Massac. Here, he recruited George Drouillard “in the public service as an Indian Interpretter [sic].” Drouillard would prove to be one of the most important members of the expedition.

Tall, with dark hair and eyes, Drouillard was about twenty-eight years old when he met Lewis in 1803. He was born to a French-Canadian father, Pierre Drouillard, and a Shawnee mother, Asoundechris.

Drouillard grew up in the Cape Girardeau area of Missouri, where he learned to trap and hunt from his father, who worked as a trapper and interpreter. At one time, Drouillard’s father worked for George Rogers Clark, William Clark’s older brother.

Drouillard spoke English, French, and Shawnee. He was also fluent in the sign language that was common among Indigenous communities and non-Native traders across North America.

Drouillard’s importance as an interpreter and mediator cannot be exaggerated. He provided a crucial link between the captains and their Mandan and Hidatsa hosts during the winter of 1804. He would translate from English to French for Toussaint Charbonneau, who would then interpret the message in Hidatsa.

Drouillard’s sign language skills were important in every community the expedition passed through—from Nez Perce and Shoshone people in the Rocky Mountains, to Chinookan-speaking people on the Lower Columbia River.

He was perhaps the most important diplomat in the expedition. Indigenous residents of the Missouri River were accustomed to French-speaking neighbors. Drouillard’s multicultural heritage would have seemed commonplace to them. He might have had an easier time relating to many different people across the continent.

Lewis and Clark realized this. Both came to rely on Drouillard to connect with their Indigenous hosts as they traversed across the continent—people whose kindness and generosity were essential to the travelers’ survival.

About this article: This article is part of a series called “Pivotal Places: Stories from the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.”

Lewis and Clark NHT Visitor Centers and Museums

This map shows a range of features associated with the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, which commemorates the 1803-1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition. The trail spans a large portion of the North American continent, from the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon. The trail is comprised of the historic route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, an auto tour route, high potential historic sites (shown in black), visitor centers (shown in orange), and pivotal places (shown in green). These features can be selected on the map to reveal additional information. Also shown is a base map displaying state boundaries, cities, rivers, and highways. The map conveys how a significant area of the North American continent was traversed by the Lewis and Clark Expedition and indicates the many places where visitors can learn about their journey and experience the landscape through which they traveled.