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Primary sourceDiary entry1804–1806

Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark · 1804–1806

The field journals kept by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark during their 1804–1806 expedition, which mention Sacagawea more than a hundred times.

The journals are the main contemporary source describing Sacagawea's actions and role on the expedition.

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About this source

What it is

These are the original field journals written by Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark as they led their expedition across the Louisiana Territory between 1804 and 1806. The manuscripts are held by the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia.

Why it matters

The journals are almost the only contemporary written record of Sacagawea, a young Shoshone woman who traveled with the expedition. Lewis and Clark mention her over a hundred times, describing her actions, words, and hardships. Because she left no writings of her own, our knowledge of her depends almost entirely on how these two men chose to describe her.

Look closer

  • Why might our main source about Sacagawea be written by someone else rather than by her?
  • What kinds of details might the captains have included — or left out — about her?
  • How might the journals read differently if Sacagawea had written her own account?

This diary entry is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Sacajawea on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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The Conquest: The True Story of Lewis and Clark

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