Discovery of the Great Falls of the Missouri

Lewis discovered the Great Falls of the Missouri — and his response was one of the most lyrical passages in the journals, a rare moment when the taciturn explorer abandoned scientific precision for pure wonder.

“I wished for the pencil of Salvator Rosa or the pen of Thompson, that I might be enabled to give to the enlightened world some just idea of this truly magnificent and sublimely grand object, which has from the commencement of time been concealed from the view of civilized man.”

The discovery confirmed they were on the correct fork of the Missouri — the Mandan had described these falls. But the falls also presented a massive logistical challenge: the expedition would spend nearly a month portaging 18 miles around a series of five cascades, one of the most grueling episodes of the journey.