Daytime Smoke
From Lewis and Clark to the Nez Perce War
On October 5th, 1877, Tzi-Kal-Tza (Daytime Smoke) surrendered alongside Chief Joseph and hundreds of other Nez Perce following the Battle of Bear Paw. The aged warrior would have been around 71 years old at the time.
Below is a photo of Daytime Smoke taken c. 1866-1867 (Prior to the Nez Perce War).
While Tzi-Kal-Tza’s participation in the war at such an advanced age is interesting in and of itself, his lasting claim to fame is the identity of his alleged father, William Clark.
Yes - THE William Clark, of Lewis and Clark fame.
From the spring of 1804 to the fall of 1806, the Corps of Discovery (aka the Lewis and Clark expedition) traveled from St. Charles, Missouri, to the Pacific coast and back - over 8,000 miles!
The Corps of Discovery came into contact with many Indigenous nations during this expedition, and their “amorous” activities are well documented throughout the journals.
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were officers and gentlemen, so they would never have admitted to participating in such pursuits but come one - they were young men in the prime of their lives and I doubt they abstained for the entirity of the expedition.
Regarding Daytime Smoke, the Corps of Discovery was among the Nez Perce both on their initial journey and the return trip. Legend has it that Captain Clark was married to Daytime Smoke’s mother in the Nez Perce fashion and that she even accompanied the expedition to the West Coast before returning to her village. The light-haired Daytime Smoke (who would often introduce himself as Clark) was born a few months after the expedition’s departure, and the rest is history.
Full disclosure: There’s no way to determine whether or not this is true, but it is interesting to think about. As much “intermingling” as the Corps of Discovery did on their way west, I think there’s a strong likelihood that they left a few offspring behind, at least.
Also, even if Daytime Smoke was not Clark’s son, it’s still fun (and a little depressing) to imagine the change he witnessed throughout his life.
Sadly, Daytime Smoke would pass away not long after his surrender while still in exile in Oklahoma.
Speaking of Lewis and Clark
I’m still working on the Lewis and Clark series. I hope to have the first episode out by next Wednesday (Mar 6th). Thank you for being so patient! In the meantime, why not check out the old episode I did on Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce War?