The Lewis and Clark Expedition reached Celilo Falls, the first major obstacle on the Columbia River, on October 22, 1805, and William Clark called this imposing stretch of the river the Great Falls of the Columbia. For millennia, tribes gathered there to fish for salmon, trade, and socialize, and Celilo Falls stood at the heart of traditional fishing grounds for the Yakamas, Umatillas, Nez Perce, Warm Springs, and others, with scores of dipnetters especially during the fall Chinook runs. With the help of local tribes, Lewis and Clark scouted a route to portage around the falls, a task that took two days of hard work: on the first day, the explorers ferried their baggage two-thirds of a mile over rocky ground on one side of the river, and on the second day, they dragged their canoes about 450 yards on the opposite side before lowering them with strong ropes of elk skin made for that purpose. One canoe broke loose when its cords snapped and was caught by Indians below.