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Hazard of the Trail Photograph by Chris Johns
A rattlesnake announces its presence near Pompey's Pillar, a sandstone formation in Montana named after Sacagawea's infant son. Born Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, the child was nicknamed Pompy by Clark. Snakebites were a fact of life for the expedition's 33 permanent membersthough none of the bites proved fatal. Remedies included poultices of tree bark and gunpowder. (Read Johns's Field Tales for more about this rattler.) |