In front of the Idaho Historical Museum, which is located in Julia Davis park in Boise, stands a bronze statue of Sacajawea holding her son Pomp. The statue was built by sculptor Agnes Vincent Talbot in 2003 to honor and coincide with the Lewis and Clark bicentennial celebration. Talbot also sculpted a second bronze monument of Sacajawea, which lies in the Idaho Botanical Gardens. Sacajawea is considered to be an important part of Idaho’s history. It is speculated that she was born into an Idaho Shoshone Indian tribe in the year 1788.

The following words are engraved at the base of the “Sacajawea and Pomp” statue:

“Sacajawea was a Lemhi Shoshoni Indian born near Salmon, Idaho, around 1790. She was the only Idaho native, and the only female, to be a member of the famed Lewis and Clark “Corps of Discovery” expedition that opened up the American west. Sacajawea carried her infant son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau (nicknamed “Pomp” by William Clark), on the grueling expedition from the Mandan village at present day North Dakota over the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean and back. She proved to be indispensable to the success of one of the greatest explorations in all of American history. This monument is dedicated to Sacajawea whose bravery, strength, and resourcefulness earned her a permanent place in American history.”

A 2007 article by Chad Dryden of the Idaho Statesman claims that the sculpture, “Is a tribute to Sacajawea’s role as the only Idaho native and woman in the Lewis and Clark expedition.”

Photo Courtesy of Spencer Erickson

References

City of Boise. (n.d). “Julia Davis Park.” Retrieved on November 15, 2011 from: http://www.cityofboise.org/Departments/Parks/ParksAndFacilities/Parks/page15927.aspx

Dryden, C. (2007, Aug 31). “Artful pedaling: The greenbelt leads to public art, galleries and first Thursday events.” McClatchy - Tribune Business News, pp. n/a. Retrieved on November 16, 2011 from: http://search.proquest.com/docview/461611148?accountid=9649

Genzoli, M., Thompson, M., & Berg, J. (2009). “Sacagawea: A courageous child changes history.” Social Studies Review, 48(2), 50-54. Retrieved on November 16, 2011 from: http://search.proquest.com/docview/199473931?accountid=9649

Lewis and Clark Trail.com. (n.d.). “Welcome to the Sacajawea and Pomp Bronze Monument in Boise, Idaho.” Retrieved on November 16, 2011 from: http://lewisandclarktrail.com/section3/idahocities/sacpomp.htm