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A Slave Crosses A Nation

© Mary Trotter Kion

The Story of York

In 1804 the Lewis and Clark Expedition left the civilized world, Missouri, to begin an enormous trek west as they followed the Missouri River. They would cross the entire westward portion of the newly acquired land until they reached the Pacific Ocean.

Setting out in three boats, a fifty-five foot long keelboat and two pirogues, William Clark and Meriwether Lewis' party consisted of forty-five men. Various white nationalities represented in this group totaled forty-four paid hands who had volunteered to be included in this adventure.

Alone in representing the African Americans was a slave, York, who of course had no say as to whether he cared to risk his life exploring a new nation. York was the slave of William Clark who always referred to the Black as his servant.

Undoubtedly, York did his share of the work as the party progressed upriver. One notation in a journal of the trip mentions York swimming across the river to collect greens and cress when many of the men were suffering from dysentery.

By October they had reached the first occupied Arikara village. Lewis and Clark met in council with these Indians for two days, telling the Indians about the new government and seeking advise on the rest of the route they must take. The Arikara, unlike the Sioux who had already been encountered, were willing to be friendly with the whites. They were glad to help with the planning of the further route as far as they knew. However, their interest was soon diverted from that of advisors to that of curios inquisitors. The source of their diverted attention was none other than Clark's slave, York. These Indians had seen red men, of course, and they had met white men just as they now were doing. But they had never seen a man whose skin, from head to toe and without being painted so, was Black! And York made the most of the situation.

York entertained the Indians with feats of strength. He told them how he had once been a wild animal and ate people until he was caught and tamed by Clark. York's master made note of York's antics and yarning in his journal with:

"Those Indians wer much astonished at my Servent, they never Saw a black man before, all flocked around him and examind him from top to toe, he Carried on the joke and made himself more turribal than we wished him to doe."