Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1904-08-01
WH1lEELER'S INTER-
EsrlNG STORY
Interesting Stories of Lewis and Clark, As
Told By Olin D. Wheeler In His New
Book On the Subject.

of the finest scenic pictures of the
sort to be found in America and one
of the grandest systems of water pow
er. Beginning with the great falls and
proceeding up stream, besides a con-
tinuous succession of rapids between
the falls proper, there are consecutive
ly the Crooked, Rainbow, Calter and
Black Eagle Falls, five in all, varying
in height from six feet for the Calter
Fall to eighty odd feet for the great
fall. Lewis was the discoverer of
these cataracts but he gave names to
but two of them, the Great and
Crooked Falls.
Lewis description of these various
falls as he discovered them one after
the other, is graphic and interesting.
He was almost boyishly enthusiastic,
and, wearied as undoubtedly he must
have been when he reached the Great
Falls, he yet sat down on a large pro-
jecting rock below it and wrote a
description that is just as accurate
and faithful today as when it was
penned.
To show the trustworthiness of the
information given by the Indians, who
lived hundreds of miles distant,
quote from Lewis regarding the last
fall of the series, going up stream
now known as the Black Eagle fall
from the circumstance recorded by
Lewis:
Gust below the falls is a little island
in the middle of the river, we'll covered
with timber. Here on a cottonwood
tree an eagle had fixed it's nest an6
seemed the undisputed mistress of {
spot to contest whose dominion neither
man nor beast would venture across
the CULTS that surrounded it, and
which is further secured by the mis-
rising from the falls. This solitary
bird could not escape the observation
Of the Indians, who made the eagle!
nest part of their description of thu
falls, which now proves to be correc
in almost every particular, except tina
they did not do justice to their height.
The eagle was seen by later travel
ers long years after Lewis and Clarl
had passed to that bourne from which
none return, but it is gone now, as il
the island.
A huge smelter now occupies tn,
west bank of the river at this poin
and there is another on the easter
bank above Calter Fall. A dam ex
tends across the stream, just abov
where the island was, and at the lowe
smelter the Giant Spring, discovere'
by Captain Clark, bursts forth. Thi
spring is really a remarkable one i,
size and volume, and it is beautiful
one as we'll.
The region hereabout is about as
was in the time of Lewis and Clark
except as the railway, the city o
Great Falls, and the smelters and tn
necessary changes consequent upol
these are now to be seen. The fall
and cascades except of course. Blac1
Eagle Fall, the Giant spring and tn
White Bear Islands, above the city O
Great Falls, where the permanen
camp of the explorers was establishe
during the portage made necessary b
the unnavigable river, have change
little Or not at all during the centur
that has elapsed since their discover,
The vast herds of bison, antelopes
and wolves that animated the plai1
and the grizzly bears, that from thei
hidden lairs on the White Bear islam
harassed the explorers day and nigh
have vanished forever, leaving dome'
tic animals in their wake. ......,
/ The water power here has scarcel
been drawn upon as vet for the need
of civilization. l5>
4 The portage required at this poir
was between seventeen and eightee
miles IN. length and it occupied man
days. Days Of toll they were, labor
GUS and exhansting, Of discomfort an
danger, and fortunate were the me
that were not injured or killed Will
: engaged In It. Cloudbursts, hal
! storms, excessive heat. they enconn
cred. Captain Clark, Chaboneau, an
saca'gawea and her baby, were almos
4 swept into the Missouri during clou
burst. barely saving themselves OWN
to Clark's quick discernment an
presence d mind. The story Of thos
i days. as cleaned from the Journals ,