Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1887-1890, 1888-01-14

close to the northern side. From the
perpendicular pitch to these islands, a
distance Of more than 100 yards, the
water glides down a sloping rock, with a
velocity almost equal to that of its fall.
Above this fall the river bends suddenly
to the northward; while viewing this
place captain Lewis heard a loud roar
above him, and crossing the point of a
hill for a few hundred yards, he saw one
of the most beautiful objects of nature
(the Rainbow falls): the whole Missouri
is suddenly stopped by n shelving rock,
which, without a single niche and with
an edge as straight and regular as if
formed by art, stretches itself from one
side of the river to the other for at least
a quarter of a mile. Over this it precipi-
tates itself in an even, uninterrupted
sheet to the perpendicular depth of so
feet, whence, dashed against the rocky
bottom, it rushes rapidly down, leav-
ing behind it a spray of the purest
foam across the river. The scene
which it presented was indeed singularly
beautiful, since withaut any of the wild,
irregular sublimity of the lower falls, it
combined all the regular %elegances which
the fancy of a painter would select to
form a beautiful waterfall. The eye had
scarcely been RECALLED with this charming
prospect, when at the distance of half a
mile captain Lewis observed another of a
similar kind (now known as the Little
Rainbow falls): To this he Immediately
fastened and found a cascade stretching
| across the whole river for a quarter of a
mile, with a descent Of IA feet, though
the perpendicular pitch was only six feet.
IN IL, 4,1 ~, oryy#& nfhar nntrbh nrhnnH
would have been an object of great mag
| nificence. but after what he had seen, it
became of secondary interest. His curl
osity, however, being awakened, he deter
mined to 90 on ever should night over
take him, to the head of the falls. He
therefore pursued the southwest course
of the river which was n constant sue
cession of rapids and small cascades at
every one of which the bluffs grew lower
or the bed of the river became more on a
level with the plains. At the distance of
two and a half miles he arrived at
another cataract of 26 feet (the Black
Eagle falls.) The river here is 600 yards
wide, butthe descent is not Immediately
perpendicular, though the river falls gen
orally with a regular and smooth sheet:
for about one-third of the descent a rock
protudes to a small distance, receives the
water in its passage and gives it a cure.
On the south side is a beautiful fall a
few feet above the level of the falls; on
the north side the country is more bro
ken. and there is a hill 0 far from the
river. Just below the falls is a little
island in the middle of the river, well
covered with timber. Here on a cotton
wood tree an eagle had fixed its nest,
and seemed the undisWuted mistress of a
spot, to contest whose dominion neither
man nor beast would venture across the
CULTS that surrounds it, and which is fur
Their secured by the mist rising from the
falls This solitary bird could 0 escape
the observation of the Indians who made
the eagles nest a part of their descrip-
ton of the falls, which now proves to be
correct in almost every particular, except
that they did not do justice to their
height. Just above this is a cascade OF
about five feet, beyond which, as far as
could be discerned the velocity Of the
water seemed to abate. Captain Lewis
now assembled the hill which was behind
him, and saw from its top a delightful
plain (now the site of the city of Great
FalIs) extending from the river to the
base Of the Snow Rocky mountains to the
fouth and southwest. Along this wide
level country the Missouri pursued its
winding course, filled with water to the
even and grassy banks. while about four