What happened to Drouillard

This memorial plaque stands in the vicinity of where George Drouillard likely died near the banks of the Jefferson River, a few miles west of Three Forks, Montana.

Creative Commons, 2.0.

If Lewis and Clark had a “go-to” guy, it was most certainly George Drouillard.

One of the few civilian members of the Corps, he was the son of a Shawnee mother and a French-Canadian father who served as an interpreter for General George Rogers Clark. By the time he joined the Lewis and Clark Expedition in November 1803 at Fort Massac, he was fluent in French, English, two Native languages, and the sign language of the Plains Indians.

Lewis, who often referred to him as “Drewyer,” seemed to be immediately impressed with the man’s confidence, skills, and knowledge, so he offered him $25 per month to be the Corps’ primary interpreter. Drouillard accepted the position, but only on a “trial” basis – he wanted to ensure that the mission of this outfit and its leaders were worth his time and effort. While he accompanied the Corps as far as Camp River Dubois, and he wouldn’t actually “sign on” until January 1, 1804.

As the Lewis and Clark Expedition journal entries prove, Drouillard was valuable in many other ways: a superior hunter, a dedicated scout, and a trustworthy advisor. The captains, time and time again, relied heavily on his knowledge, background, and common sense. If either of them left the main group for whatever reason, they likely took Douillard with them.

After the Lewis and Clark Expedition’s return, Drouillard lived briefly in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. He bought some land, using his warrant and those he purchased from John Collins and Joseph Whitehouse, and later sold it all for $1,300. From there he returned to the Rocky Mountains and provided William Clark more details and information for the maps Clark was still working on.

In 1807, working for Manuel Lisa’s fur business, he was ordered by Lisa to bring back a deserter, dead or alive. When Drouillard brought the man back dead, he was put on trial for murder, but the jury acquitted him. His good fortune ended, however, in 1810 when in the Three Forks region of the Missouri River, he and other members of a Lisa party were attacked by men of the Blackfeet nation.