In early June 1805, the Corps of Discovery was met by an unexpected fork in the Missouri River. Captains Lewis and Clark spent several days exploring each branch to ascertain which one was the Missouri River and devising a plan for an advance party to continue by land along the south fork. Just as Lewis’ group was about to depart, Sacajawea, the Shoshone Indian who accompanied the Corps on the journey to the Pacific, fell ill. Using one of the common medical practices of the time, Clark bled her, “which appeared to be of great Service to her.” Sacajawea remained with Clark and the main party, as they traveled upriver with the white pirogue and canoes.

Her condition worsened over the next few days, to the point that Clark remarked that “her case is Somewhat dangerous.” He tried other medicines, such as “cathartic salts” for constipation and a Peruvian bark poultice applied to her lower abdomen. According to Clark, the poultice offered some temporary pain relief.

On June 16, 1805, Lewis reunited with Clark and the Corps and found Sacajawea was still “extreemly ill and much reduced by her indisposition.” The captain recalled passing a “Sulpher spring” and sent a few men to bring some water for Sacajawea to drink. He also gave her some laudanum and applied another poultice. With continued treatment, Sacajawea’s pulse grew stronger, her fever broke, her pain was reduced, and she soon resumed simple chores. Some medical doctors who have studied her illness surmise that she may have suffered from pelvic inflammatory disease, possibly brought on by a sexually transmitted disease.

Visitors can hike the 2-mile trail to the Sulphur Springs, which is now managed by the USDA Forest Service, Lewis and Clark National Forest. Call 406.788.8733, or click this link for more information: http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprd3795289.pdf.

Credits and Sources:

Moulton, Gary E., editor. The Definitive Journals of Lewis and Clark: From Fort Mandan to

Three Forks, volume 4. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1987.

Peck, David J., D.O. Or Perish in the Attempt: Wilderness Medicine in the Lewis and Clark

Expedition. Helena, Montana: Farcountry Press, 2002. 

 

USDA Forest Service, Lewis and Clark National Forest. “Map of Sulphur Springs Hiking Trail.”

http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprd3795289.pdf.