Near Great Falls in Cascade County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Captain Lewis Arrives at the Great Falls

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 16, 2022

1. Captain Lewis Arrives at the Great Falls Marker

Caption: Artist Charles Fritz depicts Captain Lewis at the Great Falls of the Missouri.

Inscription. "... my ears were saluated (sic) with the agreeable sound of a fall of water...I saw the spray arrise (sic) above the plain like a collunm (sic) of smoke....soon began to make a roaring too tremendious (sic) to be mistaken for any cause short of the great falls of the Missouri....the river was one continued sene (sic) of rappids (sic) and cascades which i readily received could not be encountered with our canoes..." -- Meriwether Lewis, June 13, 1805

On Thursday. June 13, 1805, Captain Meriwether Lewis came upon what he described on his journal as a "....sublimely grand spectacle..." "He had arrived at the Great Falls of the Missouri River.
The previous winter, Mandan Indian Chiefs had told the Corps of Discovery that the party would encounter falls on the river.
However, Lewis soon found for more four more falls upstream from the Great Falls, How were they going to get past these obstacles? For the next three weeks the men portaged their boats and equipment eighteen miles overland around the falls. This portage was the most grueling stretch of the journey tha the expedition has faces so far.

Erected by North Western Power.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration

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• Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Lewis & Clark Expedition series list. A significant historical date for this entry is June 13, 1805.

Location. 47° 34.097′ N, 111° 7.233′ W. Marker is near Great Falls, Montana, in Cascade County. It can be reached from Ryan Dam Road. The marker is located on Ryan Island, accessed via a suspension bridge. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 160 Ryan Dam Road, Great Falls MT 59404, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in andspecifically entral Montana in Russell Country. It is also in the American Mountain West

and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Falls Undergo a Change (here, next to this marker); Formation of the Gorge and Falls (here, next to this marker); Rocks of the Gorge and Falls (within shouting distance of this marker); It's All Geometry (within shouting distance of this marker); From Water Comes Power (within shouting distance of this marker); Great Falls of the Missouri River (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Lewis and Clark Passed Here (approx. 0.2 miles away); Land of Many Uses / Sulphur Springs Hiking Trail / Lewis and Clark Reach the Rapids (approx. 2.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Great Falls.

Also see . . . Charles Fritz: An Artist withe the Corps of Discovery. No artist
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 16, 2022

2. Captain Lewis Arrives at the Great Falls Marker
accompanied the Lewis & Clark Expedition, an oversight lamented in Lewis' journals. Now, two centuries after Lewis and Clark undertook their transcontinental journey, we have the opportunity to retrace their steps through the meticulously researched paintings of artist Charles Fritz, who has employed his creative vision to become the artist with the Corps of Discovery. (Submitted on May 3, 2024, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)

Captain Lewis at the Great Falls of the Missouri by Charles Fritz image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Charles Fritz

3. Captain Lewis at the Great Falls of the Missouri by Charles Fritz

Credits. This page was last revised on May 3, 2024. It was originally submitted on May 3, 2024, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 307 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 3, 2024, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.