Struck By The Ree

Legends and Lore Along the Lewis and Clark Trail

Calumet Bluff | August 30–31, 1804

While camped at Calumet Bluff, near today’s Gavins Point Dam, Lewis and Clark met with the Yankton Sioux for a ceremonial exchange of peace and goodwill. Over two days, the Corps participated in pipe ceremonies, music, and dancing. Captain Clark described the Yankton as “stout, bold-looking people… the young men brave and active who vow never to retreat from their enemies.”

Struck by the Ree Memorial, Greenwood, SD
Located along the Missouri National Recreational River, this site lies on one of the few remaining free-flowing stretches of the Missouri River—just as it was when Lewis and Clark traveled west. Visitors can experience the landscape much as the Corps of Discovery once did, untouched by modern dams and development.

According to oral tradition, during the gathering, a male child was born in one of the lodges. Upon hearing this, Captain Lewis requested to see the infant. He wrapped the newborn in an American flag and delivered a bold prediction: the child would grow to be a leader of his people and a trusted ally of the United States.

That child became Struck By The Ree, a revered Chief of the Yankton Sioux and a diplomat remembered for his wisdom and strength.

A monument honoring Chief Struck By The Ree stands today in Greenwood, South Dakota—a lasting tribute to the moment when prophecy, diplomacy, and destiny intertwined on the Lewis and Clark Trail.

📍Learn more about "Struck by the Ree". Plan a visit to the Aktá Lakota Museum & Cultural Center
St. Joseph’s Indian School in Chamberlain, SD