George Drouillard
George Drouillard was a French-Canadian and Shawnee métis frontiersman who served as the expedition's primary hunter, interpreter, and sign language specialist. Considered by many historians as the most valuable member of the Corps after Lewis and Clark themselves, Drouillard supplied more game meat than any other hunter and facilitated critical diplomatic encounters using Plains Indian sign language. Lewis described him as "a man of much merit" and relied on his wilderness expertise throughout the journey. He was killed by Blackfeet warriors in 1810 while trapping on the upper Missouri.
Biography
George Drouillard (c. 1773-1810) was the expedition’s most skilled hunter and one of its most valuable members. Half French-Canadian, half Shawnee, Drouillard served as the primary interpreter through sign language — the lingua franca of the Plains tribes — and as the expedition’s best marksman.
Lewis recruited Drouillard at Fort Massac in November 1803, offering him $25 per month — the highest salary of any enlisted member. This reflected his extraordinary skill set: fluency in sign language, French, English, and several Native languages, combined with exceptional tracking and hunting abilities.
Throughout the journey, when game was scarce and the expedition faced starvation, it was often Drouillard who saved them. During the bitter Bitterroot crossing, his hunting skills kept the party alive. Lewis frequently singled him out for praise, writing that Drouillard was “a man of much merit” and “the best hunter in the party.”
After the expedition, Drouillard joined Manuel Lisa’s fur trading venture on the upper Missouri. He was killed by Blackfeet warriors near Three Forks, Montana in 1810 — one of several expedition veterans who met violent ends in the fur trade.
