Louis on May 14, 1804, not all of its members-all of whom were white and many of whom had been raised in the South, were eager to have an African-American at their side. But when the men returned to the East legends and heroes, York, whose contributions to the expedition rivaled that of his comrades, returned to a life of enslavement. “Servents feet also frosted.” Native Americans they encountered were reportedly awestruck with York's appearance, and he was later allowed to have a vote in key decisions. “Several men returned a little frost bit,” wrote Clark in his journal. In early December 1804, York was one of 15 men on a dangerous buffalo hunt to replenish their supply. As detailed in The Journals of Lewis and Clark, during the two years of the Corps of Discovery expedition, York handled firearms, killed game and helped to navigate trails and waterways. In the West, Clark found a version of servitude vastly different from the one he had been born into. Betts, York was born into slavery, the son of “Old York” and Rose, two enslaved laborers owned by Clark’s father John.ĭuring the 28-month journey, Clark experienced a dramatic upheaval. And they chose York, Clark’s 6-feet, 200-pound “body servant.”Īccording to In Search of York, by author Robert B. They chose interpreters and French oarsmen who knew the country better than they. They selected soldiers that had demonstrated bravery in battle. When Meriwether Lewis invited Clark, his army buddy and an accomplished soldier and outdoorsman, to accompany him on a journey across the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase Territory in 1803, the two conferred at length about the men that would accompany them on what would be called the Corps of Discovery. Clark was the white son of a prominent southern farmer, and York was a black, enslaved laborer. Though he had grown up side-by-side with William Clark-future leader of the first-known expedition to travel over land from the Eastern seaboard to the Pacific Ocean-the two were not equals. Then again, York didn’t have a say in the matter. It wasn’t York’s choice to join the expedition. A statue of York with Lewis and Clark in Great Falls, Montana.