As you turn onto our Montana road from the main highway there is a brown sign depicting the figures of two men, one pointing, and an Indian woman with a baby on her back. That is, of course, Lewis & Clark, and Sacagawea with her son.
William Clark was an explorer, soldier, Indian Agent, territorial Governor and was appointed as Superintendent of Indian Affairs in 1822. Clark and Lewis’ expedition opened the West to fur and lumber trade, and made the way for an influx of settlers who soon followed. The expedition of Lewis & Clark not only was of great importance in our nation’s history, but it holds another fascination for me – family history.
In July 1806, Clark and Sacagawea along with the party who accompanied them, traveled through our part of the country along the north side of the Yellowstone River. That is where our house will be. The path they traveled is very close to our door. As the red-tailed hawk flies, Yellowstone River is just under one mile from where our house is being built.
Recently a cousin doing research came across the William Clark Papers housed at the Kansas Historical Society which includes correspondence referencing Captain Richard Brannin, my 3rd Great Grandfather, as well as a letter from Captain Brannin to Captain Clark (of Lewis & Clark), who was then the Superintendent of Indian Affairs. Captain Brannin was appointed as Indian agent and agriculturist to the Osage Indians by President Monroe in 1822, serving from 1826 to 1833. His wife, Margaret, my 3rd Great Grandmother, was an instructress to the Osage women.
When Captain Brannin first met Captain Clark, there was no way to know that in just a few years, in 1864, some the Brannin family would cross into Montana territory. Not long after that, members of the family took up permanent residence here along the Lewis & Clark Trail in Montana.
As I look out across the countryside, the scene is not much different than when Sacagawea stood near the banks of the Yellowstone River and gazed at the mountains around her. Suddenly, the Clark/Brannin connection from 200 years ago somehow narrows the gap of time as the trail of history makes its way right past our door.
