History & Prehistory

15. Camp Fortunate

Updated: March 2, 2026

Painting, Captain Lewis Meeting the Shoshones, by Charles M. Russell (1903).
Painting, Captain Lewis Meeting the Shoshones, by Charles M. Russell (1903).

On August 13, 1805, Lewis finally made friendly contact with a larger group of Shoshone people from Sacagawea's nation, the Lemhi Shoshone. He wanted to trade for horses so the expedition could cross the tall Rocky Mountains, but he moved very carefully when he approached their camp so no one would think the strangers were enemies. While Lewis met with the Shoshone, he worried about Clark and the rest of the party, who were delayed by a wrong turn and by the strong current and shallow, rocky channels of the Jefferson and Big Hole rivers. The Shoshone were eager to travel east toward the buffalo hunting grounds, and at one tense moment Lewis even agreed to let the Shoshone hold some of the expedition's guns to prove that his men were not planning a trap. A few days later, when Clark and the main party finally reached the Shoshone camp, one of the women joyfully recognized Sacagawea as her long-lost relative, which helped build trust and friendship between the two groups.

Updated: March 2, 2026

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