As part of the Inskip DNA study, Major Inskeep from Washington State, USA, contacted me and revealed a fascinating and, to me, romantic story of, what I imagine, as The Wild West.
His great, great, great grandfather , who was called Doc Inskip, had a stage coach stop outside Jordan Valley, in a remote corner of Oregon’s, in the mid 19th century. The area has rough volcanic lands of high Oregon desert and snow capped mountains, and was settled by cattle ranchers and miners in the 1860s.
In May 1866, the stone, fortified Inskip Station played host to Jean Baptiste Charbonneau (known as Pomp) the son of Sacagawea, a Native American woman who was crucial to the success of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. So famous was she, that her image with baby Charbonneau is now on the one-dollar coin.
At the age of 61 Charbonneau was on his way to Montana when he crossed the icy Owyhee River, and died of pneumonia at Inskip Station. He was buried by the roadside; along with others who ended their travels prematurely there.
A few years ago the grave was rediscovered after a long hunt, and has been renovated as part of the Lewis and Clark Heritage Trail.
Major also told me that his gggrandfather travelled to California, and two buttes (small hills?) were named after him – big and little Inskip.
How this line of Inskip/Inskeeps is linked to the UK branches of the Inskip family will hopefully become clearer with the Inskip DNA Study.
Jennifer Inskip Kirkby
Terry Inskip
mikeinskip
