Bismarck
Sakakawea by Leonard Crunelle, modeled 1904-1910
Sakakawea was a Shoshone Indian woman who guided the Lewis and Clark Expedition from the
Missouri River in North Dakota to Yellowstone in 1805. She knew the land and trails and
was a language interpreter for Lewis and Clark and the Native Americans. She was essential
to this famous expedition. Incredibly, she led this expedition while caring for her
newborn baby, Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, America's youngest explorer. Mr. Crunelle, the
artist, wanted to capture the likeness of Sakakawea so he used her granddaughter as the
model for the sculpture. This sculpture is located at the North Dakota State Capitol and
can also be found on the U.S. one dollar coin.