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 We've
talked about The Corps of Discovery and their only female member,
Sacagawea, but what about their youngest
member, Jean Baptiste Charbonneou, better known as Pomp? Only eight
weeks old when he joined Lewis and Clark on their great expedition,
young Pomp traveled west on his mother's back in search of an overland
route to the Pacific Ocean. The son of Sacagawea, a Shoshone Indian
woman, and Toussaint Charbonneau, a French-Canadian fur trapper, Pomp
had but one calling-adventurer extraordinaire.
As an infant
and toddler, Pomp won the hearts of the rugged men who traveled
west with The Corps of Discovery. It wasn't unusual to find any
one of them bouncing Pomp on their knee. William Clark took an exceptional
liking to the boy and his remarkable mother. Once the expedition
met its successful end, Clark offered to raise Pomp as his own,
assuring Charbonneau and Sacagawea that their son would have a good
education. Knowing Clark as a man of his word, they left their six-year-old
boy in his care.
Raised in
St Louis by Clark, Pomp was a student of classical literature, math
and science. Not only could he read and write in English, but he
also learned Greek and Latin-highly unusual for an Indian boy. Despite
his formal upbringing, Pomp was his father's son, and at the age
of sixteen, the fur trade beckoned. Hired by the Missouri Fur Company,
possibly as a favor to Clark who was one of their investors, Pomp
headed west to seek his fortune.
 In
1823, while working as a fur trader in Kansas, Pomp met Duke Paul
Wilhelm, a young German also known as Prince Paul, the nephew of
the King of Wurttemberg, (southwestern Germany). Prince Paul traveled
to America to study the unique wild plants and animals flourishing
in the west. The two young men quickly became friends discovering
a common passion for adventure in the great outdoors. When Prince
Paul returned to Germany, he insisted his good friend, Pomp, accompany
him. Once in Wurttemberg, royalty entertained the pair as they trekked
from one castle to the next. It's even said that Pomp played the
violin for Ludwig van Beethoven at one of the grand soirees.
When Prince
Paul married Princess Sophie Von Turn und Taxis in 1827, Pomp was
one of his many guests. The royal couple moved into Deutschmeister
Schloss, a 600-year-old castle, renovated by Prince Paul. At the
prince's personal invitation, Pomp moved in, too. It was there he
learned to speak German, Spanish and Italian. Despite Prince Paul's
marriage, wanderlust still consumed him and the two best friends
traveled throughout Europe and Africa seeking adventure. The princess
didn't share or appreciate their interests. It was no wonder that
two years later, the couple separated. Prince Paul and Pomp returned
to America. Eventually, the Prince went back to Germany, but this
time Pomp stayed behind. He preferred the life of a mountain man
to that of a royal.
Being a mountain
man meant excitement. Known for their toughness, they faced daily
hazards on the job-irritable grizzly bears, poisonous snakes, deadly
terrain, not to mention unfriendly Indians. Mountain men made their
living trapping animals in places where few white men went. Pomp
began his new career when he joined Antoine Robidoux's fur brigade.
For the next fifteen years, he traveled the west trapping beaver
for their high fashion pelts. Known for his quick thinking and cleverness,
as well as his outgoing personality, Pomp made friends with the
likes of Joe Meek, Jim Bridger, and Jim Beckwourth of tall tale
fame, as well as the legendary Kit Carson. In time, fashion trends
changed, making beaver pelts passé, and therefore, virtually worthless.
With their livelihood cut short, by the 1840s the mountain men faced
extinction. It was time for Pomp to move on to his next great adventure.
 With
his ability to speak multiple languages, his vast knowledge of the
west, and his keen hunting skills, it was only natural for Pomp
to find work as a professional guide. One particular expedition
he went with was that of Sir William Drummond Stewart, a wealthy
Scottish hunter looking for wild game. Ironically, one member of
Stewart's group was Jefferson Kearny Clark, son of William Clark,
Pomp's generous benefactor.
Pomp's guiding
abilities were well known throughout the west. The U.S. Army took
note hiring him in 1846 to escort the Mormon Battalion from Santa
Fe, New Mexico to San Diego, California during the war with Mexico.
It was on this expedition that three foolish bears had the audacity
to attack Pomp. They should have known better. For their trouble,
he shot one dead and scared the other two away. Not only did he
save his own life, he fed the entire battalion for days.
Once in California,
Pomp became Alcalde, or mayor, of Mission San Luis Rey. Because
he was part Indian, the white men accused him of playing favorites
and inciting rebellion. Irritated, Pomp abruptly left his post and
headed for northern California. It was there he encountered some
friends from the Mormon Battalion who were now building a mill for
John Sutter. They let Pomp in on Sutter's big secret-gold had been
discovered. Pomp was probably one of the original forty-niners.
He didn't strike it rich, but he did stay for seventeen years, most
likely providing some sort of service for the gold diggers.
In 1866, Pomp
heard about another gold discovery-this time in Montana. Even though
he was sixty-one years old, he took two friends and set out for
yet another adventure. By the time, they reached Oregon, Pomp fell
ill with pneumonia. He died on May 16, 1866 at Inskip Station. The
Shoshone, however, tell a different tale. They believe that Pomp
was reunited with his mother on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming
where he died in 1885.
So now you
have it. Not only the story of Sacagawea herself, but that of the
baby she so gallantly carried across thousands of miles of uncharted
territory. So the next time you see a Sacagawea dollar, take a good
look at it. Notice the young Indian girl and the baby on her back.
They embraced adventure in ways most of us only dream about. It
had to be in the genes.
More reading:
Sacagawea:
A Token of Peace
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