Lewis & Clark Trip Day 22: Gates of the Mountains, MT (5/29/2021)

Saturday, May 29, 2021

~On 5/26/1999, Ada & Bert S visited Great Falls, MT.~

First, Black Eagle Dam (1926-1927, to replace the 1890
rock and timber dam) stands over Black Eagle Falls

1999: View of Black Eagle Dam and Falls

We have now seen four of the five falls of Great Falls: Big Falls, Crooked Falls, Rainbow Falls, and Black Eagle Falls. The fifth Coulter Falls is submerged behind Black Eagle Dam.

*On 6/18/1805, William Clark established Upper Portage Camp.*

*On 6/22/1805, the Corps of Discovery began transporting the first load. Because they thought Great Falls was one set of waterfalls, they at first believed the portage would take two days. The portage route was 18 miles and it took 26 days.*

*From 6/23-28/1805, Meriwether Lewis put together his iron-frame collapsible boat and tried to make it river-worthy. It required tar to make it leakproof, but there were no pine trees around Great Falls. Considered a failure, the iron frame was buried.*

*On 7/4/1805, the Corps of Discovery celebrated the holiday and the completion of the portage, consuming the last of the daily whiskey portion.*

Great Falls, MT: Lewis & Clark Historical Marker

Explorers at the Portage (1986, by Bob Scriver)

The backlit figures are from left to right, York with Seaman,
Meriwether Lewis, and William Clark

1999: The Corps of Discovery at Great Falls

Upper Portage Camp: Lewis & Clark Historical Marker

Upper Portage Camp was located in the green field beyond
the plowed brown field; the photo includes a small
hill that was mentioned by Meriwether Lewis

A replica of the iron-frame collapsible boat (KSS)

*On 7/15/1805, the Corps of Discovery continued up the Missouri River, after building two more dugout canoes to replace the iron-frame boat.*

*On 7/11/1806, on the return trip, Meriwether Lewis and his party arrived at Upper Portage Camp.*

*On 7/16/1806, on the return trip, Meriwether Lewis and three men left to explore the Marias River. Meanwhile the rest of his party recover items from the cache and portage around the falls.*

Now we are starting to see snow-capped mountains,
and the Square Butte of Cascade County
(there are 11 Square Buttes in Montana)

*On 7/16/1805, Meriwether Lewis with three men went in advance to scope out the Missouri River's passage through the mountains. They noted a large rock formation that they named "The Tower," and climbed it for a view back across the plains.*

Tower Rock today

At this point the Missouri River enters the front line
of the Rocky Mountains

Mount Chisholm is the highest peak in the northern
Gallatin Range; towards the right is a white smudge

The white smudge is Hardy Bridge (1931), which is famous
for playing the role of the US-Canada border crossing
in the 1987 film, The Untouchables (KSS)

The first place we tried to have lunch had closed
their kitchen "a while ago," so we ended up
getting pre-made sandwiches at a convenience store

*On 7/19/1805, the Corps of Discovery came to a gorge where the Missouri River passed between tall cliffs, dubbing it the Gates of the Mountains.*

Upper Holter Lake was created by the Holter Dam
(1908-1918), which also increased the water level of the
Missouri River through the Gates of the Mountains (KSS)

We took the Gates of the Mountains boat tour,
on a river 100 feet higher than in 1805

The limestone cliffs are full of holes and cracks

In the larger openings, Kent could see the mud nests
of the Petrochelidon pyrrhonota/Cliff Swallows (KSS)

Devil's Slide (KSS)

Eagle nest

The Chimney, supposed site of an osprey nest

Natural Arch

A juvenile eagle (KSS)

The dark orange stain is a pictograph of a buffalo/bison
with a star over his head and hashmarks over his body
(yeah, I know, I see a stylized eagle instead!)

The west side of the river is private property, but an
easement allows you to camp up to 20 feet from the
water's edge; the east side is Gates of the Mountains
Wilderness with two camping areas reached by boat

Mann Gulch was the scene of a forest fire that took the lives
of 13 men: smokejumpers (specially trained wilderness
firefighters who parachute into the site) who were caught
too far from the river to retreat safely, one person
survived by instinctively lighting the grass around him
on fire, then lying flat in the blackened area as the
forest fire raged over him, a technique now called escape fire

Our tour boat took us downstream far enough to see the
view of the Corps of Discovery, where the two sides
of the river appear to meet (in this photo
the "gates" have opened a little bit)

The farther upstream you travel, the gates "open"

On the left side, two-thirds up in the photo
is an eagle nest on top of the rock

The Gates of the Mountains Monster has a bush in one eye

In the lower third of this photo is a swimming
snake, perhaps 5-6 feet long

Back on Upper Holter Lake, lots of fishermen

Canyon Voyager, the Gates of the Mountains tour boat

Next: Helena, MT.