The Fort Pierre plain is located on the western side of the Missouri River in the city of Pierre, South Dakota. Native American tribes and fur traders appreciated the area’s level terrain that provided easy access to the Missouri River, and utilized the area as a valuable trading post. At one time Fort Pierre served as the largest fur-trading post on the upper Missouri, with trappers and merchants trading an average of 17,000 buffalo hides each year. However, the site is perhaps most famous for its historical connection to the Corps of Discovery led by Lewis and Clark.

It was just north of the Pierre area where Lewis and Clark first encountered the Teton Sioux, also known as the Lakota. After giving various gifts to the chiefs, one demanded that Lewis and Clark also give him one of their boats. The Captains refused but the Chief still took hold of the boat’s rope. Clark drew his sword and the warriors on land drew their arrows, but after exchanging a few threats with Clark the Chief released the rope and the expedition quickly continued down the Missouri River.

Farm Island is yet another connection that the area has to the Lewis and Clark expedition as it is one of the many islands on which the Corps of Discovery hunted elk. Farm Island’s name most likely stems from the gardens that fur traders from Fort Pierre cultivated on the island. Today the area features modern campgrounds, nature areas, as well as the Lewis and Clark Visitor Center.

Researched, written, and narrated by University of West Florida Public History Student Ashley Goethe.