Great Falls Portage
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Great Falls Portage
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One of the (now dammed) falls bypassed by the portage
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| Nearest city | Great Falls, Montana |
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| Coordinates | 47°31′52″N 111°9′5″W / 47.53111°N 111.15139°WCoordinates: 47°31′52″N 111°9′5″W / 47.53111°N 111.15139°W |
| Area | 7,700 acres (3,100 ha) |
| Built | 1805 |
| NRHP reference # | |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHLD | May 23, 1966 |
The Great Falls Portage is the route taken by the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805 to portage around the Great Falls of the Missouri River during the outbound portion of the expedition. The 18-mile (29 km) portage took 31 days. Two portions of the route, which have largely escaped development, are part of a National Historic Landmark District, designated in 1966 to commemorate this achievement. In May 2008 the National Trust for Historic Preservation listed the site on their list of America's Most Endangered Places.
The 1804-06 Lewis and Clark Expedition was the first major incursion of white men into the northwestern American plains. Ascending the Missouri River, the party reached the Great Falls area on July 13, 1805. Having been forewarned of the falls' existence by the Hidatsa with whom they had overwintered, an advance team led by Meriwether Lewis scouted the extent of the falls, which then consisted of a series of cascades extending beyond what is now the city of Great Falls. Many of these have since been dammed to produce hydroelectric power, and some are hemmed in by the city.
The route selected by Clark began with an ascent of over 1 mile (1.6 km) up what is now called Belt Creek, about 1 mile below Morony Dam. From there, the expedition boats were carried overland on crude wagons constructed by the team overland to a site near the White Bear Islands, south of the modern city. The expedition's largest boat, a pirogue, was left at Belt Creek. The team celebrated Independence Day at the upper camp, and departed upstream on July 15, having constructed two additional canoes to compensate for the loss of the boat.
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Wikipedia