By Russell Roberts.
York: the first black man to cross the American Frontier is just one of many men and women we should strive to discover and celebrate, but whose achievements are routinely ignored by history. Surely no one fits that label better than York, the first black man to cross the American Frontier, and was the servant of William Clark on the Lewis & Clark Expedition.
Discussions of Lewis & Clark’s trip rarely make mention of York. Yet the scant evidence that exists of him on the trip strongly suggests that he was America’s first Ambassador of Goodwill, and played a critical role in making friends with the Native Americans the expedition encountered.
York was Clark’s life-long companion, and although he was a slave, the relationship between the two seemed more friendly and trustworthy than was typical. York was a large man, weighing over 200 pounds and standing about six feet, two inches high. He had great strength and agility, and his presence with the expedition made many Native Americans treat it with the greatest respect, for they had never seen a person of his color, size, and abilities.
Clark and York joined the expedition at the very beginning of its departure in late 1803. Journal entries made by Clark indicate that York was far more a member of the expedition than a manservant waiting on Clark. York sawed wood, helped comfort the sick and dying, hunted, and was, in general, a valued member of the expedition who performed whatever tasks were needed to help them survive the wilderness.
But it was as a conduit to the Native Americans that York was most valuable. They thought he had been painted in charcoal and tried to wipe off his color with a finger. The natives came from miles around to gaze in wonder at York, who played his role as an object of curiosity to perfection. He danced, leaped, and jumped, demonstrated his strength, and did whatever he could to impress the natives. The natives, in turn, treated the expedition with great respect, for the presence of York was viewed as powerful medicine indeed.
York is mentioned several times when the expedition reached Washington State, making him in all probability the first African-American to cross the continent north of Mexico. Later, Clark gave York his freedom, and he went into business for himself. He reportedly died of cholera, but the year is unknown.
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