Sacajawea Comes Home

Darby, Montana

According to the plaque accompanying this life-size statue, Sacajawea was "born only 90 miles from here" -- apparently close enough to qualify as home by Montana standards -- and thus "has returned to Darby" in bronze form. Sacajawea, according to the plaque, "passed through this spot" twice, as translator and guide for the Lewis and Clark expedition; once on the way west in 1805, and the second time a year later on the way back east.

The statue, sculpted by James Demetro, was unveiled in October 2017 in a downtown pocket park, formerly the site of a building that had burned down.

Sacajawea is wrapped in a thin shawl and carries her baby Jean Bapiste Charbonneau, known as "Pomp," on her back. Her bronze lips were sculpted to appear cracked from the cold, and this is a statue that is best appreciated when the temperature is below freezing -- although it should be pointed out that Sacajawea's visits to Darby in both 1805 and 1806 came in summer.