Blackbird Hill, Nebraska

This 1830s illustration depicts Blackbird Hill and unidentifued people nearby.

Karl Bodmer, Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division.

Quick Facts

Location:

Blackbird Scenic Overlook

Significance:

Gravesite of an important Omaha leader, Wazhiⁿga’ sabe (Blackbird). Meriwether Lewis and William Clark left a custom-made flag at the site in an important diplomatic gesture between the United States and Omaha people.

Designation:

Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, National Register of Historic Places

Amenities

4 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Parking - Auto, Pets Allowed, Scenic View/Photo Spot

Mid-morning on August 11, 1804, members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition rounded a curve in the Missouri River. Rising 300 feet above them, they saw a promontory known as Blackbird Hill. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark already knew about this landmark. At its top lay the grave of Wazhiⁿga’ sabe (Blackbird), a former Omaha leader. 

Under Wazhiⁿga’ sabe’s leadership in the late 1700s, Omaha people became a strong force on the Great Plains. Wazhiⁿga’ sabe built alliances with other Indigenous nations to control access to the Upper Missouri River.  

European traders recognized this power. In 1794, Frenchman Zenon Trudeau wrote of the need to maintain friendly relations with Wazhiⁿga’ sabe. He controlled the trade routes, and “without his consent,” they could not access Omaha or other Indigenous communities of the Upper Missouri.

The Spanish Governor of Louisiana gave Wazhiⁿga’ sabe a medal in 1796, to establish his vassalage—and trading obligations—with Spain, in the tradition that all European monarchs used these medals. 

Wazhiⁿga’ sabe’s power and prestige could not save him from the ravages of disease, however. In 1800, a smallpox epidemic ravaged Omaha communities. It killed Wazhiⁿga’ sabe and nearly one-third of his community. His relatives buried Wazhiⁿga’ sabe on a hill overlooking the Missouri River, at a site where he could see for miles and watch for travelers on the river. 

Lewis and Clark were aware of this history when they set out. They brought a specially made flag to leave at Wazhiⁿga’ sabe’s grave. On that day in 1804, Clark climbed to the top of the hill and “fixed a white flag bound with Blue white & read [sic] on the Grave.” They hoped that paying their respects at the gravesite would serve as an important diplomatic gesture to Omaha people. 

About this article: This article is part of series called “Pivotal Places: Stories from the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.”

Lewis and Clark NHT Visitor Centers and Museums

Visitor Centers (shown in orange), High Potential Historic Sites (shown in black), and Pivotal Places (shown in green) along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail