The Falls of the Ohio, outside Louisville, are the only major hydrological impediment to navigation of the Ohio River. This is where Meriwether Lewis and William Clark met up in 1803 to begin their combined journey west.
Lewis and Clark first met Yellept (sometimes spelled Yelleppit) at the chief’s village near the mouth of the Walla Walla River in the fall of 1805 and were so impressed by him they promised to spend more time when they returned the following spring.
George Drouillard, whose father was French-Canadian and mother was Shawnee, was critically important to the Lewis and Clark Expedition as an interpreter and diplomat.
Meriwether Lewis demonstrated his trick gun to people he met, including Blaise Cenas near Pittsburgh, the Arikara along the Missouri River, and Clatsop leader Coboway near the Pacific Ocean.
Thomas Jefferson outlined for Meriwether Lewis his expectations of the expedition to the west – one key goal was to explore the Missouri River to find “the most direct & practicable water communication across this continent for the purposes of commerce.” And a closely related objective was to “render a knolege of those people” who inhabited the route.
Today the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail passes through the homelands of more than sixty tribes. These tribes celebrate their own languages, art, culture, and innovation.
Hear the names of a few plants and animals in indigenous languages. Just remember, each plant and animal has dozens of different names depending on who is speaking and what language the speaker is using. Do you know a name in another language?
