Bad Mergentheim Castle — Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau in Germany

Twenty-five-year-old Duke Paul of Mergentheim, Germany, arrived in St. Louis in the spring of 1823. He met and secured a license to travel into the “Indian Country” from William Clark before proceeding to the mouth of the Kaw River where he met Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau. As recommended by Clark, Duke Paul hired Sacagawea’s son as a guide.

After touring the West, as far as the mountains, Jean-Baptiste returned to Germany with Duke Paul where he spent five years in Duke Paul’s Castle at Bad Mergentheim. The castle museum is unrivaled in telling the story of Jean-Baptiste’s life outside of North America, housing ethnographic collections of rare artifacts from the Duke’s American journeys.