Black History Focus: York the Explorer

How can anyone teach the Louisiana Purchase territory without including York the Explorer? In 1804, President Thomas Jefferson commissioned the Corps of Discovery to explore the territory, heading the expedition was Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Among the many people who took part in the expedition was Clark’s servant York. Not much is taught about York, although we have heard of the Native American woman, Sacagawea (also spelled, Sacajawea), who served as interpreter and guide during only part of the expedition. 

York the Explorer did not have a known last name. His family was the property of the Clark family. In general, slaves took the last name of their owners. York was an integral part of the journey from St. Louis, Missouri to the Pacific Ocean. The exploration lasted nearly two and a half years. York had experienced freedom unlike a slave. When he returned he spent the rest of his life trying to regain the freedom he felt on the expedition. York was the first Black man to cross the North American continent. A statute of York now overlooks the Louisville riverfront in Kentucky.