Great Falls enjoys a special place in the annals of Lewis and Clark. It was at the falls of the Missouri that their expedition spent more time than at any other location except for their winter quarters at Fort Mandan in North Dakota and Fort Clatsop in Oregon. The Corps of Discovery spent just over a month here while Clark surveyed a portage route around the five great falls. Clark also spent the time experimenting with iron-framed boat, pausing to make two new replacement dugouts when the iron boat failed to stay afloat. The expedition left behind a rich legacy of special places to visit and a record of important events.
Designated “Lewis and Clark” sites in the Great Falls area include four camp sites, five waterfalls, Giant Springs (the place where Lewis heard mysterious booms), the location where Lewis was chased into the river by a grizzly, Sulphur Springs and the portage route used by the expedition. Additional sites, primarily camp sites, are located both upstream and further downstream. It was near Great Falls that Lewis identified the cutthroat trout (Montana’s state fish), the western meadowlark (Montana’s state bird), and the broadleaf cottonwood. All were new to science.Paris Gibson, the founder of the town of Great Falls, delighted in taking his eastern guests to a certain hilltop overlooking the portage, which he swore was the exact spot where the expedition celebrated the 4th of July (the first one ever celebrated by Americans in Montana) and drank the last of their grog.Great Falls is also the home for the large outdoor statue, “Explorers at the Portage” sculpted by Bob Scriver during the Montana statehood centennial in 1989.
Lower Portage Camp is located just below the mouth of Portage Creek (now Belt Creek). The expedition used the site for about two weeks as it carried its baggage almost 18 miles across the prairie to the Upper Portage Camp. At the lower camp the expedition cached its 39-foot-long white pirogue boat. It also dug a large cache to store extra goods for the return trip. There has been an ongoing archaeological dig at this site for several years with the goal of scientifically proving the camp’s exact location.Upper Portage Camp was at the end of the prairie crossing and just below the White Bear Islands. It was the main camp for the party once baggage started arriving from the lower camp. Lewis spent most of his time here first overseeing construction of his iron boat, The Experiment. When that boat failed to stay afloat, he sent crews a few miles upriver to build dugout canoes from large cottonwood trees growing there. Two of these dugouts were built at the Canoe Camp. When they were finished the expedition loaded its baggage and departed, continuing its journey to the Pacific.
The fourth camp near the great falls is the Willow Run Camp. Willow Run (now Box Elder Creek) intersected the portage route. It provided good water and shelter for a stopping point during the crossing. While it was used mostly as a rest stop, crews did spend the night either coming up with a load or returning for more. Both Lower Portage and Willow Run camps were abandoned once the baggage had all been moved across the portage to the upper camp.Although most of the actual route of the portage is on private land, it is accessible by the public (with proper permission). The route is on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1924, the Boy Scouts placed five large concrete markers along the portage route. The remains of one of those markers still stands near the spot where Paris Gibson said the expedition drank the last of its grog.
Sights Along the Missouri
A trip along the Missouri River in Great Falls enables visitors to see each of the falls the expedition encountered. Visitors along this route will also be able to see Giant Springs. This is reported to be the largest fresh water springs in North America. The water coming out of the springs flows some 200 feet to the Missouri in the Roe River, the world’s shortest river according to the Guinness Book of Records.The confluence of the Missouri and Medicine (now Sun) rivers is a good spot to locate three other attractions. When Lewis was near there he reported hearing a series of irregularly spaced booms. Although several have later speculated what these noises were, nobody has satisfactorily proven their cause. A short distance down the Missouri from this confluence is the place where a grizzly chased Lewis into the river. A grizzly chase certainly was not uncommon, but the unique aspect here was that Lewis had just shot a buffalo. He approached the dead animal to prepare some for his supper, totally forgetting to reload his rifle, when a grizzly decided he wanted the feast. Lewis recorded that was the first and last time “he would ever discharge his piece and neglect to immediately recharge her."
Atop a hill just southeast of the confluence stands a large bronze statue entitled, “The Explorers at the Portage.” This statue shows Captains Lewis and Clark, along with Lewis’ dog Seaman and York, Clark’s black manservant. It was done as a gift to the people of Great Falls and Montana during the state centennial. It is a sister statue to the “Explorers at the Marias” statue Bob Scriver sculpted for Fort Benton during the national bicentennial in 1976.The final location to see is Sulphur Springs, where Lewis got mineral water to cure Sacagawea. This spring is located across the Missouri River from the mouth of Portage Creek. It sits in a depression in the prairie about ¾ of a mile north of the river. Sulphur Springs, along with Giant Springs, the Great Falls of the Missouri, the place where the grizzly chased Lewis into the River and The Explorers at the Portage statue are all certified sites on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.
