Great Falls of the Missouri — Patrick Gass: June 16, 1805

Patrick Gass · Great Falls of the Missouri · Thwaites Vol. Gass 1807 First Edition

taking the canoes over the rapid about a mile in length, which
having accomplished they returned and took up the periogue,
where we halted to examine another great rapid close ahead.
One man had been sent on last night to Captain Lewis, to find
out what discoveries he had made. We remained here some
time, and a few of the men went out to hunt. About noon
Captain Lewis and the party with him joined us, and the
hunters came in. Captain Lewis had been up the falls 15
miles above the first shoot or pitch, and found the falls con-
tinue all that distance, in which there were 5 different shoots
40 or $0 feet perpendicular each, and very rapid water between
them. As we found the south side the best to carry our
canoes up, we crossed over and unloaded our craft. We then
had to take the empty canoes to the side we had left, and to
LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION tor
tow them up by a line about a mile, in order to get them up
to the mouth of a small river on the south side, as a more
convenient place to take them up the bank. This business
was attended with great difficulty as well as danger, but we
succeeded in getting them all over safe.