Toussaint Charbonneau

Canadian explorer

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Toussaint Charbonneau was a French Canadian fur trader who is primarily known for his association with the Lewis and Clark Expedition. He was hired as an interpreter for the expedition, which explored the Louisiana Purchase and the Pacific Northwest between 1804 and 1806.12

Charbonneau was married to Sacagawea, a Shoshone woman who also served as an interpreter for the expedition. She was crucial in facilitating communication with Native American tribes and in navigating the vast wilderness. Charbonneau and Sacagawea had a son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, who accompanied them on the journey.31

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Lewis and Clark Expedition
Expedition from May 14, 1804, to October 16, 1805
…newly hired interpreters—a French Canadian, Toussaint Charbonneau, and his Shoshone wife, Sacagawea, who had given birth to a boy, Jean Baptiste, that February. The departure scene was described by Lewis in his journal:
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…newly hired interpreters—a French Canadian, Toussaint Charbonneau, and his Shoshone wife, Sacagawea, who had given birth to a boy, Jean Baptiste, that February. The departure scene was described by Lewis in his journal:
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Sacagawea
…by French Canadian fur trader Toussaint Charbonneau and became one of his plural wives about 1804. They resided in one of the Hidatsa villages, Metaharta.
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…by French Canadian fur trader Toussaint Charbonneau and became one of his plural wives about 1804. They resided in one of the Hidatsa villages, Metaharta.
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