Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1887-1890, 1888-02-18
MIGHTY CATARACTS.
THE UPPER MISSOURI'S SCENIC
GRANDEUR DESCRIBED.
Verbatim Extracts From the Diaries of
Lewis and Clark, the Explorers
Who Visited this Country
in 1905.

and to proceed thence across the noun
tains by the shortest route to the first
navigable water on the western side,
which they were to follow to the shores
of the Pacific. This party entered the
Missouri on the 18th of May, 1904, and
took up their winter quarters on the LIST
of the ensuing November in the country
of the Mandan Indians, having by com
putation proceeded 1909 miles. They
resumed their voyage or the It'll of April,
the extreme navigable point of the Mis-
souri,, upwards of 5000 miles from the
mouth. They here procured horses, and
crossing the dividing chain of mountains
for a distance of more that 60 miles, and
having reached a navigable stream,
descended in canoes to the mouth of the
great Columbia river, which they reached
on the 10Th of November. They passed
the winter among the Indians on the
coast of the Pacific. On the 9th of
March, 1906, they set out on their return,
and reached Saint Louis on the 23d of
September following, astes having trav-
elled in all, by computation, nearly 5000
miles,"
1t was during the memorable tour thus
outlined by'Thomas Rees, that captains
Lewis and Clarke discovered, in 1905, the
great falls of the Missouri. The Tri-
bune publishes verbatim from a rare
work-s'Lewis and Clarke's Travels
edited by Thomas Rees, and published in
London, 1915, the following account taken
from the official journal Of that remarka-
BILE journey:
THURSDAY, June f3.-They LETT their en-
campment at sunrise and ascending the
river hills, went for six miles in a course
generally southwest, overs country which
though more waving than that of yester-
day, may still be considered level. Atthe
extremity of this course they overlooked
a most beautiful plain where were intin-
itely more buffalo thar we had ever be-
fore seen at a single view. To the south
west arose from the plain two mountains
of a singular appearance and more ram
parts of high Notifications thar works of
nature. They are square figures with
sides rising perpendicularly to the height
of $50 feet, formed of yellow clay, and
the tops seemed to belevel plains. Find
ing that the river here bore considerably
to the south and fearful of passing the
falls before reaching the Rocky mountains,
they now changed their course to the
south, and leaving those insulated hills
to the right, proceeded across the plain.
In this direction captain Lewis had
gone about 2 miles when his ears were
saluted with the agreeable sound of a fall
of water, and as he advanced a spray
which seemed driven by the high south
west wind arose above the plain like a
column of smoke and vanished in an in
slant. Toward this point he directed his
steps and the noise increasing as he APP
preached, soon became too tremendous to
be mistaken for anything but the great
falls of the Missouri. Having travelled Z
miles after first hearing the sound he
reached the falls about IL o'clock. The
hills as he approached were difficult of
access and 200 feet high; down these he
hurried with impotence and seating him
self on some rocks under the center of
the falls, enjoyed the sublime spectacle
of this stupendous object which since the
creation has Deer lavishiEg its magnifi-
cence upon the desert, unknown to civil
iZation.
THE LOWER FALLS
The river Immediately at this cascade
is 300 yards wide, n is pressed in by a
perpendicular cliff On the left, which
rises to about 100 feet, and extends up
the stream for a mile; on the right the
bluff is also perpendicular for 300 yards
above the falls. For 80 or 100 yards from
the left cliff, the water falls in one smooth,
even sheet over a precipice of at least 80
feet. The remaining part Of the river
precipitates itself with a more rapid cur
rent, but being received as it falls by the
irregular and somewhat projecting rocks
below forms a splendid prospect of per
fectly white foam 200 yards in length and
so in perpendicular elevation. This spray
is dissipated into a thousand shapes,
sometimes flying up in columns of 10 or 20
feet which are then oppressed by larger
masses of the white foam on all of which
the sun impresses the brightest colors of
the rainbow. As it rises from the fall it
beats with fury against a ledge of rocks
which extends across the river at $50 yards
from the precipice. From the perpendic-
ular cliff on the north, to the distance of
lSu ydTuS, bile aDChS 1lSt oIif d IS" IFet
above the water and when the river is
high The stream finds a channel across
them 40 yards wide and near the higher
parts of the ledge which then rises about
90 feet and terminate abruptly within 80
or 80 yards of the southeast side.
Between them and the perpendicular cliff
on the south, the whole body of water
runs with great swiftness. A few small
cadars GROW near his ridge of rocks.
which serves as a barrier to defend ii
small plain of about three acres, shaded
with cottonwood, at the lower extremity
of which is a grove of the same tree,
where are several Indian cabins of sticks;
below the point of them the river is di-
vided by a large rock, several feet above
the surface of the water, and extending
down the stream fof 30 yards. At the
distance of 800 yards from the same ridge
is a second abutment of solid p%erpendicu-
lar rock, about so feet high, projecting at
right angles from the small plain on the
north for 1874 yards into the river. After
this the Missouri again spreads