York

Little is known about the life of York. He was an enslaved man owned by William Clark, and later became a member of the Corps of Discovery. York is often mentioned in the journals kept by both Lewis and Clark throughout the course of the Expedition. These journal entries indicate that he experienced freedoms that few enslaved people had, though these freedoms would be revoked upon his return to the Clark plantation.

York, a slave of William Clark, is a remarkable yet mysterious part of the Expedition. Little is actually known about him, and what we do know is primarily revealed through the journals or correspondence by Clark. Clark family records indicate that York was the son of Rose and “old” York, who were also owned by the family.

Living History actor Hasan Davis gives insight into York's early life and the nature of his relationship with his enslaver, Captain William Clark.

In 1784, an enslaved boy was assigned to be 14-year-old William Clark’s personal “body servant.” Like many slaves, the boy didn’t have a legal right to a last name, so he was known just as York.

How did traveling West with the Lewis and Clark Expedition change York?

York, William Clark’s personal slave, is noted several times in the journal writings as being a concerned caregiver. He not only nursed Charles Floyd prior to the sergeant’s untimely death in August 1804, he is also documented as helping his master in June 1804.

William Clark had spent the majority of his life with York, his personal servant. So it must have been upsetting as well as puzzling to him in 1809 to hear that York preferred to be permanently separated from his master. But who could blame York? After all, moving with Clark to St. Louis meant he would be hundreds of miles away from his wife (and possibly some children). York had recently been given permission to visit his wife for four or five weeks in Kentucky.

What happened to York when the expedition returned to St. Louis? Living History Actor Hasan Davis reflects.

Despite his many contributions to the Corps of Discovery, Clark refused to release York from bondage upon their return to St. Louis in 1806. This gesture wasn’t unheard of at the time, and Clark actually had released a man named Ben in 1802 “in consideration of the services already rendered.” But York was forced to remain at Clark’s side during his time in St. Louis and when the family traveled back to Virginia and Washington City.

The Lewis and Clark story has its share of unsolved mysteries. Here’s one of the most intriguing and possibly the most heartbreaking. While all the members of the corps likely had a hard time re-adjusting to life after the Lewis and Clark Expedition, no one could have struggled more than York, the enslaved servant of William Clark. York

Before the Expedition, he had been William Clark’s personal manservant, but during the journey west York was much more – he worked side-by-side with the soldiers, interpreters, and French oarsmen who made up the Corps of Discovery. He hunted, he cared for the sick and afflicted, he entertained Native peoples, and he scouted. Through rain, snow, freezing cold, and blistering heat, York contributed day-in and day-out from Louisville to the beaches of the Pacific, and back.