6. Fort Benton

Updated: August 6, 2020

The expedition moved on to camp near present-day Fort Benton on June 4, 1805. They spent nine anxious days trying to decide which fork was the Missouri. The wrong route could have cost them weeks. On June 7, Lewis and another man nearly fell to their deaths exploring cliffs in the area. Finally, Lewis took the correct southern fork to the Great Falls of the Missouri, while the rest explored the northern fork, which turned out to be the Marias River.

Updated: August 6, 2020