Three of the five Waterfalls known as |
The Great Falls of the Missouri River are a series of waterfalls on the Missouri River in north-central Montana in the United States. The five falls, which are located in a 10-mile area of the river are:
The Missouri River drops a total of 612 feet from the first of the falls to the last, which includes 187 feet of waterfalls and 425 feet of riverbed descent.The Great Falls of the Missouri River were depicted on the Montana Territory territorial seal, and became part of the State of Montana's state seal in 1893.Lewis and Clark expected to find two falls according to information they had from natives. They found five. Four exist today in this heavily dammed section of the Missouri River. One is flooded by a dam lake. A river road provides access to viewpoints from which you can see the falls. |
Above and Below: Rainbow Falls (originally "Handsome Falls") is a waterfall on the Missouri River in Great Falls, Montana, just upstream from Crooked Falls and downstream from Colter Falls and Rainbow Dam. It is 47 feet high and 1,320 feet wide. The waterfall is part of the five Great Falls of the Missouri. The river spills over a sheer ledge of sandstone in the Kootenai Formation, forming the falls. The falls used to flow with a great deal of force year-round. In 1914 the river shortly upstream was dammed for hydroelectric power by the Rainbow Dam, which forms a run-of-the-river reservoir. As a result, the falls can almost totally dry up in the summer with only a few narrow strips of water trickling down its face. A railroad bridge crosses the river directly above the falls. The red rocks add to the beauty and the sheer drop off makes Rainbow Falls sort of resemble a much smaller version of Niagara Falls. |
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Below: Crooked Falls - as seen from the above Rainbow Falls overlook |
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Below: Sacagawea Scenic Overlook and Black Eagle Falls |
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Black Eagle Falls is located right in town along the riverside trail, plus it can be accessed from the north end of the Missouri River as well. There is an island park on the north side that gives a closer look of the falls than the more popular south shore overlook. |
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