Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
logical sites, including
Egg Mountain
and the
Old Trail Museum
in Choteau and the
Two
Medicine Dinosaur Center
in Bynum.
At the edge of the mountains and the plains, Great Falls (population 58,950, elevation 3,674
feet) has more romantic origins than its modern-day grittiness may suggest. A few days
ahead of William Clark, Meriwether Lewis stumbled on the region in June 1805, calling the
falls themselves “the grandest sight I ever beheld.” Seventy-five years later, Fort Benton
merchant Paris Gibson sought the same views that had captivated Lewis and later recollec-
ted,
“I had never seen a spot as attractive as this . . . I had looked upon this scene
for a few moments only when I said to myself, here I would found a city.”
Just three years later, in 1883, the city of Great Falls was named and platted.
With the falls long since dammed to create power—Great Falls is known as the “Electric
City” for all its dams and power plants—the city has worked to capitalize on the beauty
of the Missouri River with a scenic roadway (River Drive), trails, parks, and picnic areas
along the waterway. The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center sits
atop a bluff and affords visitors an unspoiled view of what the area might have looked like
200 years ago. Another kind of beauty celebrated by this city is art. There are a couple of
excellent—and surprising—art museums to visit.
But Great Falls is still a rough-and-tumble Montana town. There is cowboy culture, mil-
itary culture, and serious wind, all of which give the state's third-largest city a little bit of
an edge. Its location between the mountains and plains and amid rivers is ideal for lovers of
the outdoors, and Great Falls is an excellent launching point for adventures in any direction.
Great Falls Historic Trolley
If you only have a few hours and want to see as much of the city as possible, the
Great Falls Historic Trolley
(315 5th St. S., 406/453-6151 or 406/727-8255,
www.greatfallshistorictrolley.com
)
, operated by the Great Falls Downtown Association, is
a fun way to do so. Guide Marco Demers, and a few other passionate volunteers, will keep
you entertained as they take you to the most important natural and human-built places in
