Birth of Jean Baptiste Charbonneau

Sacagawea gave birth to Jean Baptiste Charbonneau at Fort Mandan. Lewis assisted in the delivery and recorded an unusual folk remedy — crushed rattlesnake rattle administered as a labor-inducing agent.

“About five Oclock this evening one of the wives of Chabono was delivered of a fine boy. I was informed that her labour was tedious and the pain violent.”

Lewis noted that within ten minutes of administering the rattlesnake rattle remedy, the baby was born. He remained skeptical of the treatment’s efficacy.

The infant, whom Clark would affectionately nickname “Pomp” or “Pompey,” would travel the entire remaining journey to the Pacific Ocean and back — making him perhaps the youngest transcontinental traveler in American history. Clark later sponsored Jean Baptiste’s education and the young man went on to become a notable frontier figure in his own right.