Capts. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were the first white men to see the great falls of the Missouri on their trip west in 1805.

The rocky drop in the river bed formed such a dramatic spill that the explorers' party could hear it seven miles away.

They lingered in the area for almost a month working their way around the five waterfalls that drop the river 551 feet in 22 miles.

Although mainly Blackfeet Indians long had lived in the area, serious white settlement began with the arrival of Paris Gibson, a Minneapolis businessman who founded the city of Great Falls in 1882, including its precise grid of streets and a plan for 886 acres of parks.

Development straddling the Missouri hasn't stopped since.

Some of the major river development downtown started with the opening of the La Quinta Inn & Suites six years ago on the banks of the river and continued with MacKenzie River Pizza, Farm Credit Services and Double G Engraving.

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"The first to come in was this hotel," says Ryan Carroll, Manager of the La Quinta Inn.

Catering mostly to business travelers, he says La Quinta "was a great addition to the community. People who come to Montana want to see the river."

With balconies facing Broadwater Bay, "it has a resort feel. You look out and see trees, the river. It's like a park."

River's Edge Trail runs between La Quinta and the water. "You can get outside and walk. We also rent bikes. You can take a bike and jet up the trail along the river."

Carroll likes that guests can be pointed to dining next door at casual MacKenzie River, for pizza, sandwiches, pasta and salads, or to The Breaks Ale House & Grill a couple of blocks away for steak and seafood. He thinks restaurants are always a good addition to the riverfront. Only a couple of lots are left on Broadwater Bay.

On the west bank of the Missouri, construction is expected to begin on a new federal building in 2007.

Besides restaurants, Carroll sees a strip mall as a good possibility for potential development surrounding the new government facility.

City officials also see potential for lodging and professional-office space in that development.