Imagine You Are Marie Dorion
By Lenora Rain-Lee Good
Marie Dorion, a woman whose life story is etched in the annals of the American West, represents a remarkable saga of resilience, courage, and adaptation. This article invites you to step into the moccasins of this extraordinary figure, an Ioway Native American woman who, in the early 19th century, embarked on a perilous journey that would forever alter the course of her life and solidify her place in history. Through vivid descriptions and historical context, we aim to illuminate the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of Imagine You Are Marie Dorion.
A Life Unfolds: St. Louis, 1811
Picture yourself in St. Louis, Missouri, in the year 1811. The burgeoning city, a gateway to the vast and uncharted territories of the West, is a melting pot of cultures, languages, and aspirations. You are a young Ioway woman, deeply connected to your heritage and traditions. You are married to Pierre Dorion, Jr., a Métis man of French-Canadian and Native American descent. Together, you have two young sons, Jean Baptiste, a lively four-year-old, and Paul, a more delicate two-year-old whose health is a constant concern.
Life, though simple, is grounded in the familiar rhythms of family and community. However, the winds of change are about to sweep through your existence. Pierre has accepted a pivotal role as a hunter, guide, and interpreter with Wilson Price Hunt and the Astorians, a group embarking on a daring expedition to the Oregon Country, following in the footsteps of the famed Lewis and Clark expedition. The journey promises opportunity but also immense danger. You, along with your two young children and another child on the way, are about to accompany him. You are the only woman among 62 men, facing the unknown expanse of the American wilderness.
Overland Odyssey: Facing the Uncharted
Leaving the relative comfort of St. Louis behind, the expedition initially travels by boat. The waterways provide a temporary respite, but the journey soon becomes more arduous. The expedition reaches the villages of the Arikara people, near present-day Mobridge, South Dakota. The Arikara warn Hunt of impending danger: the Sioux are poised to attack, intent on stealing supplies and claiming lives.
Faced with this threat, Hunt makes a crucial decision: he purchases packhorses, enough for every two men to share. The river journey ends, and the overland trek begins. Imagine You Are Marie Dorion, facing the vast, uncharted territory ahead. You walk alongside the Big (now Grand) River, with no map, no established road, no modern navigation. The sun beats down mercilessly, offering little shade from the sparse trees.
The landscape transitions into the Thin Buttes and then into barren hills where water and game are scarce. The men suffer, the children suffer, and you suffer. Thirst becomes a constant companion. One man’s pet dog, unable to endure the harsh conditions, succumbs to dehydration.
Hunger and Hope: The Green River Valley
Starvation becomes a looming threat. The horses graze on vegetation that is inedible to humans. The expedition presses on, driven by the hope of finding sustenance. Finally, they reach the Green River Valley in present-day Wyoming, a veritable oasis teeming with buffalo.
The hunters spring into action, and soon, the expedition is awash in meat. Six thousand pounds of buffalo meat are packed onto the horses, enough to sustain them as they traverse the Teton Pass into Idaho. They arrive at Henry’s Fort, a temporary refuge from the relentless October winds and the encroaching winter.
The men fell fifteen cottonwood trees, laboriously hollowing them out to create canoes. Spirits lift as the expedition transitions back to water travel. Canoes offer a faster, more efficient means of transportation than the weary horses, which are left in the care of friendly Snake Indians, to be retrieved upon their return.
Hunt assures everyone that they are merely days, at most weeks, away from the mouth of the Columbia River and Fort Astoria. However, this promise proves to be tragically inaccurate.
The Cauldron Linn and the Descent into Despair
Fear grips the expedition as the first four canoes plunge through the treacherous Cauldron Linn, a series of violent rapids. The canoes are lost, along with precious supplies and one life. Realizing the futility of continuing by water, the remaining supplies are cached, except for what can be carried on their backs.
The expedition begins a harrowing walk along the high, sheer rim of the Snake River. The water flows tantalizingly below, but there is no way to reach it. Without horses, the hunters struggle to find game. Snow blankets the ground, concealing any potential sources of food. Desperate, the men resort to boiling and eating their old moccasins. Some, driven to the brink of madness by thirst, drink their own urine.
The group splinters into smaller parties, each determined to forge its own path to survival. You and your family remain with Hunt, a man who never wanted you on the expedition and seems to harbor a deep-seated dislike for you. A businessman at heart, Hunt refuses to heed the advice of his experienced guides, clinging stubbornly to his own flawed judgment.
Imagine You Are Marie Dorion: hungry, cold, and heavily pregnant, your body weary but your spirit unbroken.
A Birth in the Wilderness: Farewell Bend
By December 21, 1811, the expedition reaches Farewell Bend, Oregon, for the second time. Their first attempt to pass through Hells Canyon had ended in failure, forcing them to turn back. The only remaining path to the Columbia River lies over the formidable Blue Mountains.
The cold is brutal, the snow is deep. On December 31, near present-day Baker City, Oregon, you give birth to your baby. The child lives for only six days, never given a name or even identified by sex. You call him Little Lark and bury him in an unmarked grave, a testament to the harsh realities of the wilderness.
Seven days later, you emerge from the mountains, finding refuge with the friendly Cayuse Indians. Do you harbor resentment towards Hunt, blaming his stubbornness for the death of your child?
Hope and the Columbia River
With the help of the Cayuse, you and the remaining members of the expedition reach the Columbia River. The Cayuse guide you, showing you the way to Wishram, Washington, more than 100 miles distant, where you can once again travel by canoe.
After the slow, placid rivers of Missouri, the swift and powerful currents of the Snake and Columbia are a revelation. The Great Falls of the Columbia (Celilo Falls, now submerged by The Dalles Dam) inspire awe. The mighty Columbia, in places a mile wide, flows through forests of fir and oak. Seals, a sight you have never witnessed before, play in the river.
Fort Astoria: A Fragile Sanctuary
On February 15, 1812, you arrive at Fort Astoria, exhausted but alive. You wonder if you will ever escape the perpetual mist and the damp chill that permeates everything. Imagine You Are Marie Dorion, finally finding a semblance of safety after months of unimaginable hardship.
Tragedy Strikes: The Boise River
Eighteen months later, you join John Reed’s party, returning up the Columbia and across the Blue Mountains, eventually reaching the confluence of the Boise River and the Snake. A main post is established near present-day Parma, Idaho, where you and your sons remain. Pierre and a group of men venture up the Boise River to a location near present-day Caldwell, Idaho, to establish a secondary post.
For a time, life settles into a routine. The local Indians are generally friendly. You cook, prepare the hides brought in by the men, and manage the post. But on January 14, 1814, tragedy strikes, shattering your world.
Word reaches you that hostile Indians are planning to attack Pierre and his men. Without hesitation, you bundle your children in warm clothing and set out on foot through the snow to warn them. Reaching the cabin, you witness a horrifying scene through the open door: your husband lies dead on the floor, scalped, with the Indians still inside.
You hide your children, sneak around to the back of the cabin, steal two Indian ponies, and drive off the remaining horses. Returning to the main post to alert Reed, you discover that everyone there has also been killed, and the supplies and most of the food have been stolen.
Survival Against All Odds: The Blue Mountains
Gathering a few hides for blankets and some dried fish, you flee with your children on the two stolen horses. You cross the Snake River and climb back into the bitterly cold, snow-covered Blue Mountains.
For over fifty days, you and your sons hide in the mountains, battling starvation and the elements. When the weather finally begins to warm and the snow begins to melt, you descend from the mountains, weakened to the point where you can barely walk. You crawl through the cold, wet mud, driven by the unwavering determination to survive.
A Pioneer Woman: A Legacy of Courage
Imagine You Are Marie Dorion, having endured unimaginable hardships, facing death and despair, and yet emerging with your spirit intact. When the opportunity arises to return to your people, you make a momentous decision: you choose to stay, becoming the first pioneer woman to cross the country overland and settle in the Oregon Country. Your courage, resilience, and unwavering love for your children have cemented your place as a legend of the American West, a testament to the strength and determination of the human spirit.