Chapter 20 The Great Portage June 16 - July 14, 1805 Summary and Analysis

The boat group soon arrives at the base of the falls. Sacagawea falls ill and is nursed by Lewis while the men cut timber and manufacture wheels and crude wagons with which they will haul the canoes and pirogues. The portage proceeds under fair weather but the work is grueling and accomplished only after many days of toil.

At the head of the falls, Lewis assembled the iron frame of his experimental boat and has it covered with elk hide. This project is fascinating to Lewis but, apparently, Clark concludes at the outset that it is unpractical. In the end, Clark's opinion proves correct—the hide covering of the craft cannot be effectively sealed and the constant and rapid leaking through the seams of the skins makes the...