Lewis and Clark lead the Corps of Discovery up the Missouri River in 1804. In June, they found their way to The Great Falls of the Missouri, located in present day Montana, where they were forced into one of the most challenging tasks of their entire voyage: portaging (modern translation: DRAGGING) their equipment and supplies on an 18 mile land-trek around the various falls and rapids in this stretch of the River
1. Their efforts and success are well documented, though modern historians are still debating their exact methods of bypassing Holter Dam, further up river. Clark's maps and Lewis' journals are remarkably short of details on that particular obstacle.
Today, nearly anyone can find their way to Great Falls, Montana, thanks almost entirely to the maps left behind by these hearty pioneers. We can easily chart a course via land or river to arrive at this small city in northern Montana. However, the feat appears to still be somewhat elusive for technology-dependent airlines.
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The original marker left by Clark in 1804.
The Corps was also relieved to discover
the nearby state-maintained outhouses.2 |
In January of 2016, the Corps of Rediscovery was commissioned by executive order of Mrs. Fading Angler. She has explored remote and primitive parts of the Bob Marshal Wilderness with local guides on elk hunts in years past. She successfully negotiated a treaty for safe passage and provisions in April from one of the guides. The local guide could be found near a Montana encampment called "Craig," located upriver from Great Falls. Again, the original Corps archives are sketchy on the details of how this place was given its name. But at least one source claims that it was named after a bearded dude wearing a bandana and Maui Jim sunglasses, who sold Clark some trico and hopper patterns that were "guaranteed to slay, with a sweet drift on a 4 weight."
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