Great Falls Portage | One of the Greatest Challenges for the Corps of Discovery

Great Falls, Montana | A Grueling Detour Through the Wilderness

​

When Meriwether Lewis first heard the thunder of water in the distance on June 13, 1805, he expected to find a single waterfall. What he encountered instead was a dramatic series of five waterfalls—a stunning natural wonder that brought the Corps of Discovery to a hard pause.

None of the falls were navigable. The expedition would have to portage everything—boats, gear, and supplies—18 miles overland across rugged terrain. The next month would prove to be one of the most physically grueling and dangerous segments of the entire journey.

“At every halt these poor fellows tumble down… some are limping from the soreness of their feet, others faint and unable to stand... yet no one complains. All go with cheerfulness.”
—Captain Meriwether Lewis

​

The Beauty That Stopped Them in Their Tracks

Lewis’s first sight of the falls was filled with wonder:

📖 “A cascade of about fifty feet… stretching from side to side... the water descends in one even and uninterrupted sheet… hissing, flashing, and sparkling as it departs.”
—Meriwether Lewis, June 13, 1805

​

Though the portage delayed their journey for a month, it gave the world some of the most vivid and dramatic journal entries of the entire expedition.
 

Heat, Hail, and Hostile Terrain

The team built makeshift wagons to haul their equipment, but the wheels broke down often. The route was dotted with sharp prickly pear cactus, which tore through their moccasins. The men trudged forward under the summer sun, surrounded by grizzly bears, rattlesnakes, and swarms of mosquitoes.

In one particularly harrowing moment, Lewis crossed paths with a grizzly bear, a mountain cat (or wolverine), and three bison—all within a single afternoon. As he wrote, it felt as if "all the beasts of the neighborhood had made a league to destroy me."
 

Hardships and Progress on the Portage

June 17, 1805: Clark and a small team surveyed the full route. It measured 18 miles, and Lewis immediately set the men to work building wooden trucks and wheels to haul their boats and cargo.

June 29: A sudden hailstorm struck. Clark, Sacagawea, York, and Charbonneau were caught in the open. Clark lost several items, and the hailstones—measured up to 7.5 inches in diameter—knocked men to the ground.

June 30: As the men sewed elk skins for Lewis’s collapsible iron-frame boat, Clark estimated 10,000 buffalo could be seen grazing on the plains. Meanwhile, buffalo carcasses floated over the falls—likely pushed into the river by the crush of animals trying to reach water.

July 4: The Corps celebrated Independence Day, finishing off the last of their liquor. Whitehouse noted the men completed assembling the iron boat, which Lewis named the Experiment.

July 9: Despite their work, the boat could not be made watertight. Lewis made the tough decision to abandon the project and have the men craft two new canoes instead.

July 14: The Corps was finally ready to move on. Clark wrote simply:

“All preparing to set out tomorrow.”
 

📍 Plan your Visit at the Interpretive Center-
Experience the Portage Story

Today, visitors can walk the same ground and feel the story come alive at the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center, perched on a bluff above the Missouri River in Great Falls.

Features include:

• Exhibits on the Great Falls portage

• A full-scale replica of the iron-frame boat

• Tributes to the Plains and Pacific Northwest tribes

• Hands-on displays, an indoor theater, and an immersive exhibit hall

​