Gass Describes the Great Falls Portage
Sergeant Gass describes the grueling 18-mile portage around the Great Falls of the Missouri, one of the expedition's hardest stretches. The men constructed makeshift wagons from cottonwood trunks to haul canoes and gear across rocky, hilly ground covered in prickly pear cactus that pierced their moccasins. Hailstorms, threatening grizzly bears, and oppressive heat added to the misery. Though this entry is dated June 22, the full portage stretched from June 16 to July 15, occupying nearly a month of the journey.
Gass provides practical details of the brutal 18-mile portage around the Great Falls — one of the most physically demanding episodes of the entire expedition.
“The prickley pear was very troublesome to our moccasioned feet.”
The men built crude wagons from cottonwood trunks to haul the canoes and supplies, but the terrain — rocky, hilly, and covered with prickly pear cactus — made every step miserable. Hailstorms battered them, grizzly bears menaced them, and the heat was oppressive. The portage took from June 16 to July 15, nearly a full month.
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Gass provides practical details of the brutal 18-mile portage around the Great Falls — one of the most physically demanding episodes of the entire expedition.
"The prickly pear was very troublesome to our moccasined feet."
The men built crude wagons from cottonwood trunks to haul the canoes and supplies, but the terrain — rocky, hilly, and covered with prickly pear cactus — made every step miserable. Hailstorms battered them, grizzly bears menaced them, and the heat was oppressive. The portage took from June 16 to July 15, nearly a full month.
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