The area of West Bank Park was used by small hunting parties as temporary camping sites as far back as 2,200 to 2,800 years ago. During the spring and early summer months, immense herds of deer, elk, and buffalo moved through this area as these animals transitioned from their winter to summer feeding grounds, using a natural ford just upriver from here. Archaeological evidence shows that this area was used by people who ranged across portions of southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, Montana, and northern Wyoming.

Like generations of Native hunters before them, the Lewis and Clark Expedition hunters also used this area as a temporary camping site and hunting ground. While the expedition portaged the Great Falls of the Missouri, Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark dispatched hunters to stockpile as much meat as possible and to procure elk hides to cover the iron-framed boat being assembled at the Upper Portage Camp. Two hunters, George Drewyer and Reuben Field, camped here from June 19 to June 25, where they killed several buffalo and deer. From this, the men dried about 800 pounds of meat and rendered about 100 pounds of tallow.

Today, West Bank Park is one of 57 parks managed by the City of Great Falls, providing scenic views of the Missouri River, picnic shelters, and recreational opportunities. The popular River’s Edge Trail also runs through the park.

Credits and Sources:

Information derived from: “The University of Montana 2001 Archaeological Investigations at the Vivendi Site (24CA656), Cascade County, Montana,” by William Prentiss, Melisse Burns, Nathan Goodale, and Thomas Foor; The Definitive Journals of Lewis and Clark: From Fort Mandan to Three Forks, edited by Gary E. Moulton; City of Great Falls, Parks and Recreation website. Photos provided by the Portage Route Chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation.