Great Falls, Montana
|
Great Falls, Montana the "Electric City" at dusk |
Great Falls is a city located in
Cascade County,
Montana,
United States. As of the
2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,690. It is the
county seat of
Cascade County. Great Falls is famous for having one of the shortest rivers in the world nearby, the
Roe River. The city is home to Montana State University - Great Falls College of Technology, University of Great Falls and the Montana School for the Deaf and the Blind, as well as the
Great Falls White Sox minor league baseball team. The local newspaper is the
Great Falls Tribune.
A
Coldwell Banker Home Price Comparison Index listed Great Falls as the second most affordable area of 348 markets in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
Great Falls is located along the
Missouri River near several water falls on the Missouri.Great Falls is located at 47°30'13" North, 111°17'11" West (47.503657, -111.286299)1.
 |
Location of Great Falls, Montana |
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 51.6 km² (19.9 mi²). 50.5 km² (19.5 mi²) of it is land and 1.1 km² (0.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.21% water.
Founded as Johnstown in
1883 by entrepreneur Josef Hanson and railroad magnate
James J. Hill, Great Falls began as a planned power city, situated to take advantage of the
hydroelectric power of the water falls of the
Missouri River. William J. Furdell described it as "a businessman's town" and it was said that the city "couldn't pont to a boot hill or a hangin' tree."
The town was renamed Great Falls in
1884, the same year it was recognized by
The United States Postal Service. In
1889, construction on the Black Eagle Dam began, which would provide the city with
hydroelectric power by the following year.
Great Falls quickly became a thriving industrial center and, by the early 1900s, was on route to become Montana's fastest growing community. The rustic studio of famed Western artist
Charles Marion Russell was a popular attraction, as were the famed "great falls," after which the city was named.
It prospered further with the opening of a nearby military base, but as rail transportation and freight slowed in the later part of the century, its population dwindled. It once had over 60,000 people, but as of
2000 had about 56,000.
Great Falls is home to
Malmstrom Air Force Base and the 341st Space Wing. The 341st Operations Group provides the forces to launch, monitor and secure the wing's Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (
ICBM) and missile alert facilities (MAF).
These
ICBMs and MAFs are dispersed over the largest missile complex in the
Western Hemisphere, an area encompasing some 23,000 square miles (approximately the size of the state of
West Virginia).
The group manages a variety of equipment, facilities, and vehicles worth more than $5 billion.
Great Falls International Airport is also home to the Montana Air National Guard's 120th Fighter Wing. The 120th is composed of F-16C/D fighter aircraft and associated support personnel.
Great Falls is also home to the 889th Army Reserve Unit.
In August
1950, the city of Great Falls was thrust into the spotlight of
UFO enthusiasts worldwide when
baseball manager Nicolas Mariana filmed two UFOs above the town with his personal
16mm camera. The footage, taken from the Legion Ball Park, was immediately submitted to the
Great Falls Tribune and later shown to friends and family. At a friend's suggestion, Mariana submitted the footage to the
Air Force and it was formally examined by
Project Blue Book at nearby
Malmstrom Air Force Base (then the Great Falls AFB). When the footage was returned to him, Mariana claimed that clearer footage featuring the ships rotating had been removed by the military.
The remaining footage has been featured in numerous
UFO documentaries and, to this day, remains one of the strongest cases supporting the existence of UFOs ever captured on film. Since then, over 100 other
UFO sightings have been made in Great Falls, making it one of the most active locations for
UFO sightings in
North America.
*
Mike Mansfield *
William Roth *
Charles Marion Russell *
Paris Gibson *
Tera Patrick *
James J. Hill *
Gerald R. Molen *
Ryan Leaf *
Dave Dickenson *
Jason Beam *
Lester Hogan *
Ted Geoghegan *
Einar Axel Malmstrom *
Jay L. Johnson *
Victoria Paris *
Scott Davis *
John "Misha" Petkevich *
Malcolm Hancock *
Joseph Kinsey Howard *
Todd Albertson *
John Gibbons *
Cyra McFadden *
Brett Weldele *
Andrew Nelson *
Bob Woolf *
Jim Starr-Kalafat *
Monte DolackNumerous motion pictures have been filmed in and around Great Falls, Montana. These movies include:
Freedom (1994)
Holy Matrimony (1994)
Northfork (2003)
The Slaughter Rule (2002)
The Stone Boy (1984)
Telefon (1977)
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974)
The Untouchables (1987)
Amazing Grace and Chuck (1987)
Great Falls has a
sister city, as designated by
Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):
*
Sharya,
Russia*
Great Falls official website*
Visit Great Falls*
Great Falls Online*
Great Falls Pictures*
Did You Know? (trivia)
