Passing On Their Way Up The Missouri, The Explorers Found Several
Kinds Of Delicious Wild Plums And Vast Quantities Of Grapes;
And Here, Too, They Passed The Mouth Of The Yankton River,
Now Known As The Dakota, At The Mouth Of Which Is The Modern
City Of Yankton, South Dakota.
The Yankton-Sioux Indians,
numbering about one thousand people, inhabited this part
of the country, and near here the white men were met by a large
band of these Sioux who had come in at the invitation of Lewis
and Clark.
The messengers from the white men reported that they
had been well received by the Indians, who, as a mark of respect,
presented their visitors with "a fat dog, already cooked,
of which they partook heartily and found it well-flavored."
From this time, according to the journal, the explorers
tasted occasionally of roast dog, and later on they adopted
this dish as a regular feature of their bill-of-fare. They
do tell us, however, that they had some difficulty in getting
used to so novel an article of food.
The Sioux and the white men held a grand council under an
oak-tree, from the top of which was flying the American flag.
The head chief was presented with a gold-laced uniform of
the United States artillery, a cocked hat and red feather.
The lesser chiefs were also presented with suitable gifts
of lesser value. Various festivities followed the conference.
Next day another powwow was held at which the head chief,
Weucha, or Shake Hand, said:
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