What did she do?

Like we have mentioned, at that time, President Thomas Jefferson was hoping to find a passable water route across the continent to the Pacific Ocean. He sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the territory in the north recently purchased from France. The crew consisted of military men, several French interpreters, a servant named York, and Lewis' black Newfoundland dog.

Lewis and Clark found Charbonneau living in the Rocky Mountains and hired him as an interpreter. Charbonneau could only speak French and Hidatsa, so they relied on her to translate the other Indian languages for him.

She had her first son, Baptiste, shortly before the westward journey. At age sixteen.

When the men were hungry, Sacagawea caught little animals for the men to eat. Her presence ensured the white men's safety for other reasons. The white men relied on Indians for food and replacement horses to carry supplies, which meant being able to approach the Indians without being mistaken for a war party. The Indians knew that the white men were not malevolent when they saw Sacagawea and her baby. They assumed that a war party would never travel with a family. 

What is Sacagawea Known for?

Sacagawea was the one who helped Lewis and Clark find their route to the Pacific Ocean. Sacagawea helped Lewis and Clark by arranging an agreement with the Shoshoni to borrow horses. Soon, the Shoshoni were preparing to move because of buffalo herds. Lewis, Clark, and Sacagawea then asked for more horses and by August 29, the Shoshoni gave them 29 more horses. The next route they were going to take was the Columbian River which required moving their boats in addition to their horses. Going through the Columbian river would help them reach their goal of going to the Pacific Ocean. The horses pulled the boats for Lewis, Clark, and Sacagawea. While Sacagawea was passing through the Bitterroot Mountains, it started to snow. Because of this weather, a lot of their horses passed away. One of the horses fell and crashed their writing desk. They then used the broken wood for firewood which provided them warmth in this terrible weather. The expedition did last a long time, but it eventually succeeded. This journey probably helped future generations because nowadays we don't have to travel as far as we would have had to if that expedition did not take place. A coin was made after Sacagawea in 1999 shown on the side. This coin was made because there were no portraits of her. She was very limited with herself, so a coin was made instead of a portrait. This coin was worth $1.00 in U.S money.