The Wild West 2: Go West

From the Spanish to the French, to the British — everyone had their eye on the vast expanse of America’s western frontier. Then, in the early 1800s, Thomas Jefferson saw an opportunity and made a deal no one expected.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
The land along Virginia's coastline had long been settled by
the eighteenth century, but the territory west of that along
the Blue Ridge in Piedmont was a different story. Even
centuries later, those rolling hills and valleys remained largely uninhabited.
The British government took notice when the French began to
colonize the Ohio Valley. If the territory became exclusively French,

(00:28):
their British settlements would be limited to the region east
of the Appalachian Mountains. To aid in the British colonization
of unappropriated lands, the Virginia Council and Governor made land grants,
some of which were quite large. Colonist John Lewis headed
up the Loyal Company of Virginia, a survey company that
secured one of the Governor's grants on July twelfth of

(00:49):
seventeen forty eight. The Loyal Company was granted over eight
hundred thousand acres surrounding the Virginia and North Carolina area
and ran westward to present day Kentucky Key. Essentially, the
company enticed settlers to purchase land. It goes without saying
that neither the French nor the British consulted the indigenous
people regarding this landgrad The grant and the company were

(01:12):
quite the endeavor, but John had help. His neighbors Peter
and Joshua, as well as friends Thomas Walker and Thomas Merriweather,
were also Loyal Company grant recipients. When John secured the grant,
he appointed Thomas Walker as an agent and sent him
and several other men westward to explore potential land acquisitions.
The Loyal Company wasn't the only business surveying and selling land, though,

(01:35):
and got into conflict with another surveying business, the Ohio Company.
The Loyal Company began advertising promising settler's cheap land. They
offered buyers the option of reasonable payments. Squatters were forced
to pay the Loyal Company's asking price. Before Thomas Walker
and a few of the other men set out to
survey parts of eastern Kentucky, Peter made a name for

(01:57):
himself through another more notable expedition. Peter's reputation as a
skilled surveyor had long preceded him. He had come from
a family who owned considerable property near present day Richmond, Virginia.
In addition to his skills and intelligence, his physical strength
and endurance were about to be tested. Peter had teamed
up with another surveyor, Joshua Fry, in seventeen forty six,

(02:21):
to mark off property owned by Lord Fairfax. The uncharted
territory across the state proved to be quite a dangerous adventure.
The pair first headed south, marking the dividing line between
Virginia and North Carolina. The terrain across the Blue Ridge
Mountains was treacherous, and reportedly the men fought off attacks
from local wildlife at night. The pair had to sleep

(02:42):
in trees for safety. Their expedition led Louis Burwell, Virginia's
acting governor, to commission the men to create a map
of the region in seventeen fifty. The governor worried that
the French were potentially encroaching on British territory, and the
surveyor's previous expedition and detail held material made them the
most logical choice. Peter and Joshua worked tirelessly on the map,

(03:06):
printed in seventeen fifty one. In the following years, the
map's accuracy benefited British generals during the Seven Years War.
Four copperplate engravings were made of the map, making it
Virginia's most significant map of its day, and most importantly,
the map would be used decades later, in seventeen eighty
one by Peter's son Thomas, as part of a book

(03:28):
that he would write called Notes on the State of
Virginia and what was Peter's son's full name, Thomas Jefferson.
I'm Aaron Mankee, and welcome to the Wild West. From

(03:51):
Alaska and parts of Canada and throughout the lower forty
eight States, the indigenous peoples lived independently, each self supporting.
They built homes or followed the migration of animals. They
formed their own systems of government and trade whatever foods
or products they traded. Most indigenous people valued one thing
above all, their land, and other countries agreed. Europeans first

(04:15):
began to set up colonies shortly after Christopher Columbus's journey,
and the Spanish conquistro or Hernando de Soto arrived in
search of gold in the mid sixteenth century, ordering the
slaughter of any tribe thought to be hiding gold. Meanwhile,
the French began to settle in the territories from Canada
down to what is present day Louisiana. The first English

(04:36):
attempts at settlements in fifteen eighty five and again two
years later during the Roanoke Colony failed. The English first
found success in sixteen oh seven with Jamestown, Virginia. However,
survival wouldn't have been possible without the help from local
indigenous tribes. Further north, England established a colony at Plymouth
in sixteen twenty with assistance from the native peoples. More

(05:00):
Europeans arrived, all looking to seize land from local tribes.
Although Native Americans fought to keep their land, the onslaught
of immigrants and the diseases that they brought forced them
further into the nation's interior. While England began colonizing the
New World's eastern regions, the French kept busy with the interior.
Although we think of the English settlements taking over much

(05:21):
of present day America, in the mid eighteenth century, France
controlled more US territory than England or Spain. On April
ninth of sixteen eighty two, French explorer Robert Cavalier stood
before a group of Native Americans and announced that their
land now belonged to King Louis the fourteenth and named
the region Louisiana after the French monarch. Later, in seventeen eighteen,

(05:46):
Jean Baptiste Lemoyne founded Nouvelle or Leone in honor of
Prince Philippe, regent to France and the Duke of Orleon.
The French and Indian War brought changes in land rights,
and France surrendered the Louisiana territory west of the misiss
Sippy to Spain in seventeen sixty two and the rest
to Great Britain a year later. To Thomas Jefferson, the

(06:06):
western frontier held great potential. Jefferson shared his father's love
of exploration and land, and like his father, Jefferson had
extensive knowledge of American territory. In fact, in seventeen seventy nine,
while still Virginia's governor, he attempted to strike a deal
with the Spanish for land access in Louisiana. While the

(06:26):
deal failed, Jefferson kept his eye on the prize the
port city of New Orleans. During his rise to power
in seventeen ninety nine, Napoleon sought to re establish France
in America. In eighteen hundred, Spain quietly exchanged land in
Italy for Louisiana. Jefferson feared that Napoleon would cut off
access to the Mississippi River and the port city. By

(06:49):
eighteen oh one, Jefferson had become the nation's third president.
What lay beyond a fifty mile westward radius from most
settlements remained mostly unknown, though in his address Jefferson promised
to change that. In support of his belief that God
had given men land to explore and tame, Jefferson offered
George Rogers Clark funding to explore the western territory. Clark declined,

(07:13):
but suggested that his brother William might be up to
the task instead. When Spain's King Charles the Fourth officially
signed over Louisiana in eighteen oh two, tensions between the
US and France escalated. US rights to the ports expired,
risking large amounts of goods. As Jefferson feared, frontiersmen suggested
taking Louisiana by force instead, an opportunity presented itself, you

(07:39):
see years earlier, in seventeen ninety one, a revolt in
Sandamanga among the enslaved people there started a domino effect,
forcing France to abolish slavery to stem the violence. It
didn't work, though, before long, enslaved people took over, and
more revolts in French owned territories followed. When winter weather
thwarted Napoleon's plans to send troops from the Netherlands to

(08:01):
New Orleans and eighteen oh three, Jefferson offered to buy
the city. To his surprise, the French gave him the
opportunity to buy the entire Louisiana territory, from Canada to
the Rocky Mountains and south from the Mississippi River. While
France had plenty of reasons, Jefferson didn't ponder them too much.
He had been granted nine million dollars to make the deal,

(08:22):
hardly close to the twenty two million asking price. Through negotiations,
the agreed price was dropped to fifteen million dollars, Jefferson
accepted without Washington's approval. While some approved of Jefferson overstepping
his bounds, others did not. On May second of eighteen
oh three, France and the US signed the deal and
backdated it to April thirtieth, though the US wouldn't take

(08:45):
over until later that year. The day was bright and
sunny on December twelfth of eighteen oh three in New
Orleans main square, officials lowered the French tricolor and hoisted
the American flag throughout the port. People cheered. Meanwhile, though
French politician Pierre Clement de la Sas stood on the
balcony at the town hall and quietly wept go West.

(09:16):
It's a phrase we've often heard, and even before the
Louisiana purchase, Jefferson had his mindset on sending explorers on
an expedition to the Pacific. He wrote Congress on January
eighteenth of eighteen oh three, asking for twenty five hundred
dollars for the Core of Discovery. The purpose, he explained,
would be to establish trade with the indigenous tribes, and

(09:36):
a CFO water route to the Pacific Ocean existed. Congress
approved the expedition in February of eighteen oh three. Jefferson
wrote his secretary Meriwether Lewis four months later, asking him
to lead the expedition. Lewis had served with the militia
during the Whiskey Rebellion before becoming Jefferson's secretary. At the
age of twenty seven. He had risen to the rank

(09:59):
of captain in the arm Although he was born in Virginia,
Lewis spent most of his youth in Georgia, where he
had learned to hunt. Jefferson asked Lewis to document everything
from plants and animals to the soil, weather and topography,
and the indigenous people that they encountered. To prepare, Lewis
studied under the nation's top scientists in Philadelphia. He also

(10:21):
visited Harper's Ferry to stock up on rifles, ammunition, and
other supplies that Jefferson thought necessary for the journey. While
the supplies were shipped to Philadelphia, Lewis began selecting recruits
to join him. He chose William Clark to be his
partner and sent him a letter on June nineteenth. In
addition to his military record, Clark excelled at making maps.

(10:43):
Lewis explained that their journey would take them well outside
of US territory, although France and Great Britain had granted
them a passport. Lewis planned to start from the mouth
of the Mississippi River. The journey wouldn't be easy, though
The river current was swift and downed logs submerged under
the surface might capsize boats. Every observation and every recording

(11:05):
must be cared for and protected. Jefferson orders included that
they were to treat all indigenous tribes with courtesy and friendliness.
He supplied Lewis with smallpox vaccines to give to the tribes.
On July eighteenth, Clark replied, accepting Lewis's request. Clark was
also a Native Virginian, although his family had moved to
Kentucky when he was a teenager. During the summer, Lewis

(11:27):
had a custom boat made to accommodate the crew. Construction
took longer than expected, but on August thirty first, Lewis
and a crew of eleven set off down the Ohio River.
After overcoming some initial difficulties, they arrived in Clarksville, Indiana
on October fourteenth, where Clark and an additional nine men
joined them. And if that coincidence of names Clark and

(11:48):
Clarksville makes you curious, yes, the place was named after
a Clark, William Clark's brother George Rogers Clark, the man
responsible for William's involvement in the first place. It seems
maybe they were looking for a poetic start to their journey.
Two months later, the team arrived in Saint Louis. The
men spent the winter recruiting and training others, growing the

(12:09):
Corp of Discovery to over seventy people. On May fourteenth
of eighteen oh four, after gathering additional supplies, the Corps
headed up the Missouri River on their custom keel boats
and additional canoes. Strong currents, insects, and heat made for
a slow and uncomfortable start. Lewis and Clark journaled everything, too,
naming streams, animals, and plants along the way. Every morning,

(12:33):
hunters searched for food, and while Lewis walked the shoreline
documenting what he found, Clark stayed on the boat. Over
the course of the expedition, Lewis and Clark met with
and took council with about fifty different local tribes to
establish goodwill. Lewis and Clark presented the tribe's leader with
a Jefferson Indian peace metal and offered to trade goods.

(12:55):
Interestingly enough, they also informed the tribes that America owned
their lands, and in a shoe of peace, offered military protection.
In late September, they traveled through Sioux Territory in what
is now Pierre, South Dakota. Lewis and Clark knew that
the Tensions between the Sioux and the settlers were high,
as well as with another neighboring tribe. At first, their
interactions did not go well, but in the end they

(13:17):
shared a meal and stories before traveling on. When the
frost began to appear with regularity and the nights grew cooler,
the men built a fort for the winter just north
of present day Bismarck, North Dakota, and nearby lived two
notable Native American tribes, the Mandan and the Hidatsa. The
two coexisted peacefully during their more than one hundred and

(13:38):
fifty day residency. At the camp that they named Fort Mandan,
they met Sheheke, a member of the Mandan tribe. Much
of the survival of the corps is owed to him.
Although white settlers had brought smallpox to the area and
wiped out a significant amount of his tribe, he still
offered his assistance, even providing them with a map. But
the Mandan, of course, weren't the only Native Americans to

(14:01):
help Louis and Clark. The expedition westward meant crossing the
Rocky Mountains, and without the help of the Shoshone, the
trip would be impossible. Fortunately for Lewis and Clark, they
met Toussaint Charboneau, a trapper and fur trader who had

(14:21):
two Shoshone wives. One of Charboneau's wives was a teenage
Shoshone girl named Sakajuwea. In February of eighteen oh five,
Sakajuia gave birth to a little boy named Jean Baptiste.
Lewis and Clark learned that she had come to live
with the Hidatsas when she was a child. Her tribe
had traveled from the area of Colorado. The Hidatsa attacked,

(14:42):
taking the women and children with them with a snow
and ice melting In the spring of eighteen oh five.
Lewis and Clark sent some of the party back to
Saint Louis with a variety of soil samples, artifacts, seeds,
and small animals. The remainder of the camp, including the
addition of Charboneau, Sakajuwea, and their infant son, began their
journey west. Lewis journaled new plants and animal specimens, including

(15:07):
grizzly bears, which they hunted until a few of the
bears hunted back. That is, on June thirteenth, they came
to the great Falls. Lewis wrote that the rapids made
crossing at that point impossible, forcing them to continue on
foot for eighteen miles, and as you imagine, carrying the
supplies was backbreaking. Mosquitoes and rattlesnakes were plentiful, and the

(15:27):
hunters had to contend with those grizzly bears when they
were out foraging for food. In late July, they reached
the location on the map marked three forks of the
Missouri River. They took a few days to rest in
late July before setting off toward the Continental Divide along
the deepest of the three streams. At one point, Sakajuwia
recognized a landmark from her childhood. This was good news

(15:51):
to Lewis. He was anxious to meet the Shoshone. If
they were to cross the mountains before winter, they needed horses,
but the first Shoshone man they met was spooked and
ran off, fearing that they were the Hidatsa or some
other tribe who might attack them. It was August twelfth
when Lewis stood at the Lem High Pass. Instead of plains,
mountains as far as the eye could see greeted him.

(16:13):
The view was a thing of beauty, but they needed
horses now more than ever. Luckily, the very next day,
the group came upon a few shoshonees. Louis did his
best to show them that he meant no harm. The
Shoshone agreed to bring the travelers to their village. They
were met with warriors, but again Lewis managed to calm
their fears. Suspicions arose the next day when Lewis pushed

(16:35):
them for horses. Fortunately, Sakajawea was the chief's sister and
managed to negotiate the sale of some of the tribe's horses.
Leuis listened to the Shoshone's advice about their route to
the Colorado River. These sheer cliffs and rapids would be
more than just treacherous. The Shoshone advised against the route,
although they did provide Lewis and Clark with a guide

(16:57):
to help them over the mountain range. Old Toby, as
the Shoshone called him, didn't lead the expedition party over
the easiest terrain, though. Instead he took them due north
over the rugged Bitter Root Range. From there, he led
them through a pass along the Continental Divide, where they
met the Salish, a tribe similar to the Shoshone. Lewis
and Clark attained more horses and supplies from them while

(17:20):
they rested for a few days. Lewis and Clark also
learned that the river leading to the ocean was a
five day journey through the Bitter Root Range. The corps
set out on September eleventh of eighteen oh five. Instead
of five days, the journey took them eleven. The descent
down the range was difficult on the best of days,
but winter had come early and the snow was deep.

(17:40):
One of the horses carrying supplies lost its footing and
fell to its death. In desperation, Clark set out with
six men ahead of the group. He hoped to find
a tribe of Native Americans who might help them, especially
with food, and thankfully, after just a couple of days,
the group came across the Nez Perce. The explorers were
the first white men the tribe had ever seen. Louis

(18:03):
and the rest of the corps arrived a few days later.
Due to the language barrier, the group took to sign
language for communication. They learned that travel by water was
once again possible, and the men got to work making canoes.
After leaving their horses with the Nez Perce. The Core
of Discovery set out on five canoes on October seventh.
By October sixteenth, they had reached the Columbia River. Lewis

(18:26):
and Clark finally arrived off the Oregon coast in November
of eighteen oh five. With winter closing in, the weary
but joyful explorers set up camp, choosing to stay until
March of eighteen oh six. As he marveled at the
beauty of the Pacific, Clark carved a few words on
the bark of a large pine. William Clark December three,

(18:48):
eighteen o five. The corp of Discovery made their way
back across the country in the late spring of eighteen
oh six. Every time hown they passed through on their
return journey celebrated their success, and Jefferson rewarded both of
the men Upon their return to Washington. In addition to

(19:08):
his salary, Lewis received sixteen hundred acres of land and
was given the office of governor over the Louisiana Territory. Sadly,
Lewis developed a drinking problem. On October eleventh of eighteen
oh nine, he died in Tennessee. Some say that he
took his own life, while others believe that he may
have actually been murdered. Clark fared much better. Jefferson appointed

(19:30):
him an agent for indigenous people's affairs. He also ascended
to the rank of brigadier general. In eighteen o eight.
He married Julia Hancock, and when Sakajuea passed away in
eighteen twelve, Clark and his wife raised her children. The
following year, he became the governor of the Missouri Territory.
He passed away in eighteen thirty eight. Without saka Juea's help,

(19:53):
perhaps the Lewis and Clark expedition would have been different,
although there are misconceptions regarding her part to play. She
led the men to her place of birth, where they
met up with the Shoshone, but she was not the
guide for the entire expedition. Even so, her translation skills
and resourcefulness and knowledge of familiar land were crucial to

(20:13):
the expedition's success. Lewis and the other members of the
corps noted that her presence with the child helped tensions
when making contact with new tribes. Warriors knew that no
woman with a child would travel with a war party.
It's also noted that saka Juea helped the others become
more in tune with Native Americans and to see nature

(20:33):
a bit more from their perspective. Her part in bringing
together different cultures was immeasurable. On August fourteenth of eighteen
oh six, Sakajuea, her son, and her husband returned to
the Hidatsa Mandan settlement. Three years later, Clark offered them
land to farm in exchange for educating their son. Farming
life didn't suit zaka Juea and Charboneau, and they returned

(20:57):
to fur trading. Saka Juea died in eighteen two twelve
at the age of twenty five, near what is now
present day Bismarck, North Dakota, and while some believe that
she was buried on the Wind River Reservation where the
Lemhi Shoshone tribe lived, others disagree. And as I said before,
Clark took in her two children, Lizette and Pierre Baptiste.

(21:17):
Although Jefferson instructed Lewis to take detailed notes on the
people they met, Lewis never gave the same attention to
Sakajawea or anyone else in the Core for that matter.
Although she is undeniably one of the key figures in
American history. There exists no painting, no descriptions, and no
drawings of the woman herself. Our history with the indigenous

(21:46):
peoples of North America is obviously complex and nuanced. It's
clear from the story of Lewis and Clark that their
journey west would not have been possible without Native American assistance,
and to be clear, they seemed grateful for that in
the moment. Still, the results of that interaction are far
from ideal. With that in mind, we've set aside one
more story of exploration, complex relationships, and the pain of history.

(22:11):
Stick around through this brief sponsor break to hear my
teammates Ali Steed tell you all about it.

Speaker 2 (22:22):
Daniel Boone was born in seventeen thirty four in Pennsylvania,
where his parents worked as weavers and blacksmiths. As a
young boy, he helped his mother tend to the cattle
in the pastures, where it said his deep love for
the wilderness and the hunter's life began. Boone was an
excellent marksman and frequently neglected the cows, choosing to spend
his days in the woods. Numerous Indigenous settlements existed within

(22:45):
some twenty or thirty miles of his home, giving young
Boone the opportunity to learn from several different tribes, and
his time with them strongly influenced the remainder of his life.
Deep in the forest, he also met other hunters of
European descent. White and indigenous hunters hot Boone the ways
of the forest, and most considered him a friend. In
the spring of seventeen fifty, the Boone family moved near

(23:07):
the Yadkin River in North Carolina. After serving in the
militia during the French and Indian War, Boone returned home
in the summer of seventeen fifty five. A year later,
he married Rebecca Bryan, and they settled in the Yadkin Valley.
Over the years, the family grew with several hungry mouths
to feed. Boone disappeared for months at a time during
the fall and winter to hunt for food, returning in

(23:27):
the spring to sell his pelts to traders. While Boone hunted,
his wife was left to maintain and defend the homestead
and raise their children all alone. In seventeen fifty nine,
a group of Cherokee raided the Yadkin Valley, forcing the
Boone family and many others to flee to Culpepper County, Virginia.
Boone remained friends with many of his fellow militiamen, including

(23:49):
John Findley, a trader that told him stories about the
lands beyond the Appalachians. In the fall and winter of
seventeen sixty seven and sixty eight, Boone traveled across the mountains,
though he never saw the areas. Findley described. Boone's relationship
with many of the Cherokee people remained good, and he
occasionally hunted with them while on his travels. He and

(24:09):
a few other hunters set out for a second trip
to Kentucky in May of seventeen sixty nine. They followed
the Great Warrior's Path and crossed Appalachian ridges and valleys.
Others like Thomas Walker of the Loyal Land Company, had
also made the same journey. Eventually, the hunters came upon
the most famous gap in North America, the Cumberland Gap.

(24:29):
Boone's love of the area prompted him to stay, and
he didn't return home to his family until May of
seventeen seventy one. Determined to settle in the area beyond
the Cumberland Gap, Boone convinced five other families to move
with him, and in seventeen seventy three he led those
families along the trails he had previously traveled. Unfortunately, Native
Americans were upset by the influx of settlers taking over

(24:51):
their lands and attacked the party, killing one of Boone's sons.
Despite this tragedy, Boone continued his work in Kentucky. His
explorations had gained him widespread fame and admiration, and in
seventeen seventy four, Judge Richard Henderson hired him to explore
Kentucky and mark at a trail that became known as
Wilderness Road. In seventeen seventy five, Boone founded a town

(25:13):
along the banks of the Kentucky River, which he called Boonsborough. However,
local Shawnee and Cherokee tribes met this settlement with resistance.
The tribes temporarily kidnapped his daughter in July of seventeen
seventy six, and the following year Boone was shot during
an attack, but he recovered. The Shawnee captured Boone in
seventeen seventy eight, though he managed to escape while on

(25:35):
his way to buy land permits. Boone was ambushed and robbed.
The settlers demanded that he repay their money, and some
even sued. By seventeen eighty eight, Boone left Kentucky and
relocated to Point Pleasant, West Virginia. There he served as
lieutenant colonel and legislative delegate of his county before moving
to Missouri. During the Revolutionary War, Boone lost another son,

(25:56):
and in seventeen eighty three, as the war ended, Boone
and his family moved to a settlement along the Ohio
River in Limestone, Kentucky. Boone had become a legend before
his death, in part thanks to author John Filson. In
seventeen eighty three, Philson toured Kentucky, interviewing prominent men. Philson
met with Boone, who happily shared his stories. The more
Philson learned, the more he sensed an epic tale, certainly

(26:19):
far grander than the guide books he had set out
to write. With guidance from Boone and others, Philson completed
his book. In the first half, Philson described Kentucky's geography,
its rivers and soil and climate, and provided a detailed map.
But in the second half, Philson transformed Boone's stories, enthralling
readers for Generations to come.

Speaker 1 (26:43):
Grimm and Maud Presents The wild West was executive produced
by me Aaron Mankey and hosted by Aaron Manke and
Alexandra Steed. Writing for this season was provided by Michelle Mudo,
with research by Alexandra Steed, Sam Alberty, Cassandra de Alba,
and Harry Marx. Fact checking was performed by Gamie Vargas,
with sensitivity reading by Stacy Parshall Jensen. Production assistance was

(27:04):
provided by Josh Stain, Jesse Funk, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick.
To learn more about this and other shows from Grim
and Mild and iHeartRadio, visit Grimandmild dot com