Sulphur Spring: Healing Waters

Sulphur Spring: Healing Waters. . On June 16, 1805, Captain Lewis, returning from his reconnoiter of the falls, rejoined Captain Clark downriver from here and "found the Indian woman extreemly ill and much reduced by her indisposition." Having walked by this spring earlier, Lewis suspected its medicinal water might help the ailing Sacagawea. Lewis dispatched several men to "procure the water of the Sulpher spring, the virtures of which I [Lewis] now resolved to try on the Indian woman." , Sacagawea's Health Trouble Both Captains , Were they worried about her survival and that of her infant son? Was her "being our only dependence for a friendly negociation with Snake Indians on whom we depend for horses to assist us in our portage from the Missouri to the columbia River" their main concern? , The answer remains a mystery, as does the medicinal value of the mineral waters. However, within one day of drinking the water, a relieved Lewis reported "there is every rational hope of her [Sacagawea's] recovery." , What might have been the fate of the expedition had Sacagawea not recovered? , [sidebar] , For thousands of years Indians valued the healthful qualities of the sulphur water. They camped near its source, no doubt drinking and soaking in the southing waters , In 1886, local residents lauded its medicinal value in the Great Falls Tribune reporting ",,,this place has become a favorite resort for the sick ...an effective cure for many ills."