On their homeward journey in April 1806, the Lewis and Clark Expedition reached the intimidating stretch of rapids William Clark named the Great Shoote, where turbulent water made paddling impossible and forced an upriver portage. The explorers tied ropes to their canoes and towed them against the strong current while trudging along the shore, but during this exhausting effort a large canoe swung broadside, tore the rope from the men's hands, and surged downriver, never to be recovered. After this loss, the Expedition had only four canoes to carry all thirty-three people, their equipment, and Captain Lewis's dog, Seaman. The Great Shoote stood where the present-day Bridge of the Gods crosses the river; pioneers later called these rapids the Cascades of the Columbia, a name still used for the area even though Bonneville Dam's backwaters now cover the rapids.