The Accidental Shooting on Brunot’s Island

Photo: “View of the City of Pittsburgh in 1817,” by Emma Gibson: This early view of Pittsburgh gives an idea of what the city looked like as Lewis & Clark embarked on their journey west. From Senator John Heinz History Center Collections.

Even before Meriwether Lewis and his initial group of men got out of sight of Pittsburgh in 1803, tragedy nearly struck the Expedition.

For some reason that’s not entirely clear, the Captain stopped the keelboat’s voyage to go ashore at Brunot’s Island. Possibly it was to bid farewell to someone he knew who lived on the small island, just west of Pittsburgh. During the short visit, someone asked him to demonstrate his newly acquired air gun.

On the very first page in Gary E. Moulton’s edition of “The Definite Journals of Lewis & Clark,” Meriwether Lewis wrote on August 30, 1803: “Arrived at Bruno's Island 3 miles below halted a few minutes. went on shore and being invited on by some of the gentlemen present to try my airgun which I had purchased brought it on shore charged it and fired myself seven times fifty five yards with pretty good success; after which a Mr. Blaze Cenas being unacquainted with the management of the gun suffered her to discharge herself accedentaly the ball passed through the hat of a woman about 40 yards distanc cuting her temple about the fourth of the diameter of the ball; shee fell instantly and the blood gusing from her temple we were all in the greatest consternation supposed she was dead by [but] in a minute she revived to our enespressable satisfaction, and by examination we found the wound by no means mortal or even dangerous”

The woman is never named, but we’re certain she had a memorable tale to tell the rest of her life.