Jon Valle´ and Cheyenne River

Photo: Cheyenne River in central South Dakota.  Creative Commons, 2.0, Jeffrey Beall.

By October 1, 1804 the Corps of Discovery was well into today’s central South Dakota. The final days of autumn were fleeting. The early signs of winter were near.

Where the Cheyenne River entered the Missouri, the Captains met with Jon Valle´, a French trader who had a post just a few miles above the Cheyenne’s confluence. He provided valuable information based on personal experience to the men about the Cheyenne River, the Black Hills, and the Cheyenne Indians. That evening the Corps camped near his post.

The next day, Valle´ boarded the keelboat for a short ride upriver, when he likely continuing sharing his knowledge of the area and what the Expedition could expect in the weeks ahead. It’s not known if he was familiar with the Missouri River up to the Mandan villages.

The Cheyenne River is approximately 295 miles long passing through eastern Wyoming and western South Dakota, skirting the south side of the Black Hills. Today, it flows into Lake Oahe about 35 miles northwest of Pierre, South Dakota.