The grueling 18-mile Great Falls Portage around the five magnificent Missouri River falls proved a month-long ordeal of grizzly bears, rattlesnakes, mosquitoes, and prickly pear cactus. The sun beat down on the men and one time very large hailstones as they dragged supplies across gullies and around ravines in a race against time. Crossing the continental divide and western mountains before winter was critical to their sucess.

Row 1--#2 & 3-ranger showing buffalo chip that was used for fires, note pile of flint in #3, #4-tinder box with magnifying glass, #5-striking flint to make spark, #6-mobile villages of explorers, #7-Row 2--#4-river sculpts the banks, #5-Row 3--#6-information about the portage, #7-earth lodge floor plan. Row 4--#1-4-expedition cache example, #5-7-calculating position on the trail. Row 5--#1 & 2-crossing the mountains, #3-Row 6--#1-information about the Nez Perce Indians, #2 & 3-canoes to the Pacific, #4-Indian equipment, #5 & 6-Blackfeet Indians and Lewis incident at Two Medicine River. Row 7--#1-4-guns of the time period, #5 & 6-making lead balls for guns.