When the River Stopped, the Work Didn't

AI-generated illustration of the Great Falls Portage, inspired by historical reference images supplied by the author. Created with OpenAI's ChatGPT, October 2026.

What Lewis and Clark's Great Falls Portage Teaches About Disciplined Progress

Imagine spending more than a year traveling up the Missouri River, only to discover that the river you have been following is suddenly no longer going to take you where you need to go.

That was the situation facing Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in June 1805. Their expedition, commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Territory and seek a practical route to the Pacific Ocean, had reached what is now central Montana. For more than a year, the Missouri River had been their highway westward. Now, a series of enormous waterfalls stood directly in their path.

The expedition could not navigate the falls. There was no alternative river route around them, and turning back was hardly an attractive option. If the Corps of Discovery intended to continue west, its members would have to carry their boats, supplies, and equipment overland, then put everything back into the Missouri above the falls.

What followed was nearly a month of some of the most physically demanding work of the entire two-year-and-four-month expedition.

The Difference Between Working Hard and Making Progress

In their book Great by Choice, business researchers Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen examined why some companies consistently outperform others during periods of uncertainty. One of their findings was that successful organizations don't necessarily make progress through dramatic breakthroughs or extraordinary bursts of activity.

Instead, they practice what the authors call the 20 Mile March. It's built on the sometimes-heard adage of “work smarter, not harder.”

The concept comes from the idea of establishing a consistent, achievable standard of performance and maintaining it regardless of circumstances. When conditions are difficult, disciplined organizations continue making progress. When conditions are favorable, they resist the temptation to overextend themselves.

It isn't simply about working harder. It's about developing the discipline to keep moving toward an objective, even when the circumstances aren't particularly encouraging.

The captains knew nothing about modern management theory, of course. But their experience at the Great Falls provides an interesting illustration of what sustained, disciplined effort looks like when the original plan is no longer workable.

Seventeen Miles That Took Nearly a Month

The Great Falls (which, believe it or not, are in modern-day Great Falls, Montana) they saw were not a single waterfall that the expedition could simply walk around. They were a series of five major falls and intervening rapids stretching along the Missouri River. The overland route Clark surveyed around this obstacle was approximately seventeen and three-quarter miles.

That might not sound particularly intimidating today. But imagine moving heavy wooden boats, firearms, ammunition, scientific instruments, food, and the other supplies necessary to sustain an expedition through country without roads, bridges, or wheeled transportation.

Clark surveyed the route, established compass headings, and marked points along the way. The men improvised a transportation system, mounting their canoes on axles and using sections of cottonwood trees as wheels.

Even with those innovations, the work was punishing.

The prairie was covered with prickly pear cactus, whose sharp spines pierced the men's moccasins. The ground alternated between sticky clay and hardened surfaces that were difficult to cross. Summer heat, powerful winds, and severe storms added to their difficulties.

And the expedition had other problems demanding attention. Sacagawea, the young Shoshone woman traveling with the Corps, became seriously ill. Lewis's experimental iron-framed boat, which he had hoped would help transport supplies upriver, failed when its improvised covering could not keep the water out.

The men eventually had to construct additional dugout canoes to replace the carrying capacity they had expected from the iron boat.

None of these problems made the waterfalls disappear. The expedition still had to get its equipment to the other side.

Progress Doesn't Always Look Impressive

One of the most useful lessons from Collins and Hansen's research is that disciplined progress isn't necessarily dramatic. Organizations that consistently meet achievable performance standards may accomplish more over time than those that alternate between remarkable achievements and periods of little progress.

The Corps of Discovery did not operate with a formal daily mileage requirement comparable to the 20 Mile March. Its circumstances were too variable, and the historical record does not support that comparison.

But the broader principle is worth considering.

At Great Falls, progress meant surveying a route, making repeated trips with equipment, solving transportation problems, and continuing the work despite setbacks. There was no single decision that eliminated the obstacle. Each completed task brought the expedition closer to putting its boats back into the river.

That distinction matters in business and organizational leadership.

Leaders frequently encounter problems that cannot be resolved through a new strategic plan, an inspiring speech, or one exceptionally productive day. Sometimes the challenge is simply getting an organization through a difficult stretch without losing sight of its larger purpose. It's simply getting up each day and grinding it out until you run out of daylight—and doing it again the next day.

The question becomes whether the organization has established the priorities, expectations, and discipline necessary to make meaningful progress while conditions remain difficult.

Getting Beyond the Falls

By early July 1805, the expedition had completed its portage and the additional work necessary to resume its journey. The boats and supplies were above the waterfalls, and the Corps of Discovery could continue westward.

The Great Falls had delayed the expedition for weeks. They had exhausted the men, complicated their transportation plans, and tested their ability to work together. But they had not ended the journey.

Collins and Hansen's 20 Mile March reminds us that long-term success is often the result of consistent performance rather than occasional extraordinary effort.

Lewis and Clark's experience offers a useful historical illustration. Their immediate objective was not to conquer the entire continent. It was to get their boats and supplies around seventeen miles of waterfalls.

Sometimes leadership means recognizing that the original route is no longer available, finding another way forward, and having the discipline to do the work necessary to get there.