Named in Honor of John Shields

Named in Honor of John Shields. Clark on the Yellowstone. "I proceeded on down the river on an old buffalow road at a distance of 9 miles below the mountains Shield River discharges itself into the Rochejhone on it's N W. side above s high rocky Clift, this river is 35 yards wide deep and affords a great quantity of water it heads in those Snowey Mountains to the N W." William Clark, July 15, 1806 , While descending the Yellowstone River, Captain William Clark named many tributaries for members of the Corp of Discovery. This tributary, the Shields River, was named in honor of Private John Shields. , He was a talented blacksmith and gifted at repairing guns, tools, and other items. The Corps often traded his knife and ax making skills in exchange for food and provisions from the American Indian tribes they encountered. , The Shieds River is one of the few rivers named after the expedition members that has retained its name over time. , , (insert) , Blacksmith and Gunsmith , John Shields' blacksmithing experience came in handy to repair Captain Lewis' air gun that he purchased in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, a portrait of Shields was never completed during his life, so his appearance is a mystery. This is a sketch by Michael Haynes fo what the blacksmiths on the expedition wore. , (pictured:) Air gun