A mountain chain in Montana and a city and river in Oklahoma are named for a man who spent the winter of 1804-05 at Fort Mandan.

Nathaniel Pryor had joined the expedition led by William Clark and Meriwether Lewis because of his ability as a frontiersman and Indian negotiator. After the expedition was over, Pryor became a highly respected trader and peace broker with the Osage Indians.

Nathaniel Hale Pryor was born in 1872 to John A. and Nancy (Floyd) Pryor in west-central Virginia. Early in 1883, the Pryors moved to a site near Louisville in northwestern Kentucky.

Although little is known about his early life, it can be assumed that Pryor must have frequently accompanied his father on hunting trips and visits with Indians because he was highly valued as a hunter and negotiator with the Native Americans after he joined the Lewis and Clark expedition.

In October of 1803, Lewis and Clark began to recruit men to assist them on their journey. On Oct. 20, Pryor and his cousin Charles Floyd journeyed from Louisville, across the Ohio River, to Clarksville, in Indiana Territory to sign on for the expedition.

Pryor's role in the expedition almost ended early on. On Nov. 22, 1803, he volunteered to hunt game to provide for the rest of the men. He became separated from the main group and, after two days of searching, was finally able to reunite with the others further down the river.

During the winter of 1803-04, the men trained and prepared for the long journey at Camp Dubois in Illinois. Lewis and Clark were impressed with Pryor's "character and ability," and, on April 1, 1804, promoted him along with Floyd and John Ordway to sergeant.

On May 14, 1804, the crew of 43 assembled in St. Louis and began their long voyage up the Missouri River on three keel boats loaded with supplies.

By the end of July the expedition had made its way up the Missouri to present-day Iowa. Floyd became quite ill and died on Aug. 20.

On Oct. 5, the men arrived in what is now North Dakota, and, by the 20th, made their way to the Mandan villages, where they decided to stay for the winter months.

After the ice left the Missouri River on April 7, 1805, the expedition was able to proceed west, and they reached the Pacific Ocean in November. After spending the winter in what is now northwestern Washington, they began their trip back to St. Louis on March 23, 1806.

On the return trip east, the expedition split into two groups. Clark, Pryor and others retraced the route they used to get there. In July, Pryor, on a hunting trip, veered south of his regular party. It was at that time he spotted the splendid elevated area where today wild horses roam free. These high rolling hills were later named the Pryor Mountains in his honor.

Pryor had kept a journal throughout the journey and, after he returned, sent it France to be published. Unfortunately, the journal was lost and has never been recovered.

Pryor remained in the Army working for Clark, who had become Indian agent in the Missouri Territory. Clark dispatched Pryor on a secret mission to try and convince the Shawnee Chief, Tecumseh, not to ally his Indian nation with the British. When negotiations broke down, Pryor resigned from the Army in 1810.

Pryor established a lead-smelting furnace along the Upper Mississippi River at present-day Dubuque, Iowa. Unaware that Tecumseh and his allies, the Winnebagoes, were now at war with the U.S., Pryor was surprised when the warring tribe attacked his plant.

He was held captive and barely escaped by crossing the frozen Mississippi on foot. Pryor rejoined the army in 1813 where he rose to the rank of captain. His involvement in the War of 1812 concluded with the decisive Battle of New Orleans, under the command of Andrew Jackson.

After the war, Pryor was given an honorable discharge and began trading with the Indians. In 1819, he was granted a license to trade with the Osage tribe and built a tremendous amount of trust with them.

He married a daughter of Chief Claremore, who he called Angelique, and frequently represented the Osage in negotiations with the whites and other Indians. Soon the military and missionaries began to seek his assistance in dealing with Indians around Fort Smith in present-day Oklahoma.

Pryor died on June 9, 1831. To pay him respect, a city and river in Oklahoma were named in his honor.

(Written by Curt Eriksmoen and edited by Jan Eriksmoen. Reach the Eriksmoens by e-mail at cjeriksmoen@cableone.net.)