The Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Indians share the Wind River Reservation in central Wyoming, but these two tribal nations have distinct histories and cultures.
The most well known of all Shoshone women is Sacajawea, who along with her infant son Jean Baptiste Charbonneau was a part of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery. Shoshones believe that Sacajawea died on this reservation in 1884 and is buried west of Fort Washakie. But there is much mystery to Sacajawea’s life and despite identification of her grave by Fr. John Roberts, an Episcopal Missionary to the Shoshones, there is some evidence that she may have died in North Dakota in 1812.
Chief Washakie is the noted historic leader of the Shoshones and it was his agreement that allowed the Northern Arapahos to share the Wind River Reservation.
To learn more about the culture of these two tribes, begin your trip at St. Stephens Mission, which opened in 1884 to serve the Northern Arapahos under Chief Black Coal. The Heritage Museum, located in what once was the boys’ dormitory, includes a collection ranging from Arapaho war shirts to beadwork and photographs.
Chief Washakie statue
The beautiful white mission church building has a decidedly Native American appearance with brightly colored geometric designs painted inside and out and an altar fashioned from a large drum.
From St. Stephens Mission travel west about 30 minutes via Wyoming Highway 137 and then north on Wyoming Highway 132 to Ethete, where the original buildings of St. Michael’s Mission, which also served the Arapahos, are situated around a circular driveway.
To reach the Shoshone Cultural Center, drive west about five miles on Ethete Road (turn to the west at the stop light in Ethete). The Center displays treaties negotiated by Chief Washakie, plus many of his personal possessions.
Additional Shoshone and Northern Arapaho objects are on display at the Gallery of the Wind, located four miles west of the Shoshone Cultural Center at the intersection of Wyoming Highway 287 and Trout Creek Road. This private collection has some outstanding examples of clothing, weapons and cultural artifacts.
Follow Trout Creek Road west from the Gallery of the Wind for two miles to the site of the original Roberts Mission and Boarding School that served the Shoshones
Crowheart Butte
in the late 1800s. Sacajawea’s gravesite is located about one-half mile north of the mission buildings on Cemetery Road. There is no sign on the south end of the dirt road, but it is almost directly across from the entrance to the Roberts Mission.
If you turn north from the Sacajawea Cemetery and then turn east when the dirt road ends, you can follow North Fork Road to Fort Washakie, site of the original Indian agency. Your route passes the cemetery with Washakie’s grave. Original buildings from the Fort Washakie Agency date back to the nineteenth century. This small community now has modern facilities serving both tribes on the Wind River Reservation.
As you travel across the Wind River Reservation’s open spaces, with small clusters of houses and small communities, don’t be discouraged by the lack of road signs. Generally there are enough markers to help you find the places you want to visit, and if you are unsuccessful, just ask someone. Like most rural areas in Wyoming, the residents here are usually glad to point the way.
Candy Moulton makes her home near Encampment, Wyoming. She is the author of two books about American Indians: Everyday Life Among American Indians and Chief Joseph: Guardian of the people.
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