Great Falls, MT

We've been in Great Falls since Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday we found the Visitor's Center and signed up for a 2-hour historic tour of the city. The first hour appeared to be a commercial for the Chamber of Commerce. Finally after the first hour, the tour got more interesting. We learned that GF is called the "electric city" and can understand why! All 5 of the falls named by Lewis and Clark have been reduced to a trickle as dams have been erected and the water harnessed to provide the electricity for the city. What a disappointment!

After the trolly tour we drove out to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center to learn about L&C in this area of Montana. We were treated to a Ken Burns movie on Lewis and Clark and the second was of the L&C portage around the falls and then a 20 minute talk by the National Park Service on Charles Russell and his painting. A short distance down the road we saw the Giant Springs where the water pushes up from 400+ feet below the surface. The water is clear and a beautiful blue. It forms the shortest river in the US - the ROE River which is 201 feet long. It is said that it takes 54 years for the water to soak into the ground in the mountains and resurface here at the Springs. We ate supper at the Makenzie River Pizza Company -- very good!

On Thursday we drove to Ulm, about 15 miles from GF to see the Indian Pishkun (First People's Buffalo Jump) and then down to Hardie Creek to see Tower State Park, where Lewis climbed the bluff to see the mountains the Corp of Discovery would have to cross. When we got back to GF we stopped at the County Historical Society Museum and saw more of the history of the area -- the smelter, the Indian schools, and another display on Glacier National Park.

Today we spent the day at the Charles Russell Museum, home and studio. Charlie Russell was born to society in St. Louis, but was enchanted by the life in the west after hearing the stories of his great uncles. At the age of 16 he went west and worked on the range as a cowboy. He'd always had a skill with drawing, so he would cowpunch at night and draw during the day. His pictures hang in all the major art galleries in the US, and his statue is in the US Capitol. His museum has an extensive catalog of his works, and the studio is just the way it was when he was alive. The house was saved from condemnation by the Garden Club, and the building has been furnished with period pieces.

We will spend tomorrow in the campground and prepare for our trip to North Dakota. Will add more from Medora, ND. We'll arrive there on Monday. We'll spend Sunday night in Glendive, MT.