Day 12

Sunday, Sept 21

Spent the day in and around the city of Great Falls, Montana, mostly visiting Lewis and Clark sites.

Left the trailer in the campground and drove northeast to visit the actual "Great Falls", the first falls that Lewis and party found as he scouted ahead from the main Expedition group.   They had been expecting to find the falls, the Mandans and Hidatsa had described them.    Lewis first heard the falls and then, on June 13, 1805, he saw them from above.     After further reconnaissance, Lewis determined that there were a series of falls and that a long portage would be required.   The portage required several weeks of hard work to bring their canoes and supplies above the falls.

Great Falls before the dam. (Old photo.)

Monument at Great Falls.

At Great Falls with Stella the Wonder Dog.

Downstream.

Next, we visit some of the falls upstream from Great Falls.

Rainbow Falls.

Snake at Rainbow Falls.  (Probably a gophersnake.)

Black Eagle Falls.

After lunch, we had a long visit at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center on the banks of the Missouri, just on the edge of the city of Great Falls.   It is run by the US Dept of Agriculture.   The Center is a very good one and has a nice display of paintings and other art in addition to a good, sequential set of displays about the Corps of Discovery.

Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.

York, Seaman, Lewis, Clark, Sacagawea, & Pompey.

Stan in deerskin hunting shirt.

Statue of Seaman by the banks of the Missouri.

Finally, we visited Great Springs, a rather odd and beautiful geographical phenomenon.   Water from mountains many miles to the southeast comes up from the earth just a few yards from the Missouri.   It is one of the largest springs in the world and the flow from the spring to the Missouri is the shortest river in the world!

State trout hatchery by the Great Springs.

Tomorrow, over the Continental Divide to Missoula, MT.

Linda Adds:

The weather has been ideal, sunny and dry.  The worst weather we have had was the cold day in St. Louis.  Hope this continues but will not hold my breathe.  We have found it funny that, at least in larger places, there is always a Walmart.  They are all the same but we have noticed a difference in type of clothing for sale.  Great Falls had already but in a good supply of men's flannel lined jeans.  Snow fences are going up and chain stations are duly marked.  Leaves are already channging to a beautiful golden color.  Premondition of the winter to come?  Historically, the Lewis and Clark expedition experience a rough, snowy crossing after the Falls.