Lewis and Clark Expedition: The Forgotten French-Canadians

Richard Hetu - Lewis and Clark Expedition: The Forgotten French-Canadians | Video on PBS & NPR Forum Network




The Lost Guide by Richard Hetu ( 2004 by East Village Press) Review from GoodReads:  "A fresh and lively retelling of one of the most momentous journeys in American history -- by one of French Canada's most respected journalists. Grounded in the best scholarship, "The Lost Guide" reconstructs the Lewis and Clark expedition, with all its romance, heroics, and heartaches, from the point of view of Toussaint Charbonneau, Sacagawea's "husband," a man much maligned by historians and novelists. Hired as a guide and interpeter, Charbonneau played a crucial role in this unforgettable odyssey. Without him, Lewis and Clark would never have met Sacagawea, the Indian woman who would later become a legendary figure, nor would their expedition, in all likelihood, have crossed the rocky Mountains and reached the Pacific. Heir to a proud tradition, that of the "coureurs de bois" Toussaint Charbonneau was one of many French-Canadians who ventured in the early Far West as pioneers of the fur trade."