Summer 1805
You continue on your course about two miles with Goodrich at your side; soon your ears are treated to the sound of water falling. Advancing further, you notice a spray rising above the plains. The roar is “too tremendous to be mistaken for any cause short of the Great Falls of the Missouri.”
You advance down the river about three miles, seeking a spot where the canoes can be taken on shore for the portage. You return without a plan. The river seems to be one continuous scene of rapids and cascades.
Clark provides you with information concerning the portage. The north side of the river appears to have many ravines. The cliffs perpendicular to the river rise 150 to 200 feet above the banks.
Two scouts continue to explore the river and the creek above it. Their reports increase your uneasiness. There are two deep ravines on the south side; higher than any you have seen. The river appears to bend southwest. Does it continue bending, making the south side a shorter passage?
You are eager to continue your journey. Winter is approaching fast; you must make it over the mountains before the snow gets too deep. Which side of the river should you portage – the south or the north?