Sacajawea Acknowledged on Lewis & Clark Statue

The statue, viewed against the sky
The Lewis and Clark statue, photographed by Alexander Kurashev / CC

A plaque was dedicated to Sacajawea at a ceremony at the Lewis and Clark statue today, Dave McNair writes for The Hook. The statue has been the subject of protest for its depiction of an apparently cowering Sacajawea—in fact, the Shoshone teenager served as a translator and, at times, a guide—which is what motivated the city to commission the plaque honoring her.

Anybody interested in the context of how this statute came to be will appreciate Michie Company-printed 1919 booklet detailing the unveiling exercises. Mayor W.M. Forrest spoke—thanking Paul Goodloe McIntire for providing the sculpture—UVA President Edwin Alderman presented the statue, Miss Virginia McIntire unveiled it, Judge R.T.W. Duke accepted it on behalf of the city, and Armistead Churchhill Gordon gave a rather lengthy historical discourse on the honored explorers.

2 Responses to “Sacajawea Acknowledged on Lewis & Clark Statue”


  • Dahmius says:

    Just want to say I think that’s the best photo I’ve ever seen of the controversial statue.

  • Isn’t it just great? I was so surprised to see that the photographer— Alexander Kurashev, from northern Virginia—had released it under a Creative Commons license. Though I spotted it some months ago, I was just waiting for a chance to use it.

Comments are currently closed.

Sideblog