Great Falls, city (2020 pop. 60,442),
seat of Cascade co., N central Mont., second largest city in the state, at
the confluence of the Missouri and Sun rivers and near the falls that give
the city its name; inc. 1888. As the center of extensive hydroelectric power
development, Great Falls is popularly called the “Electric
City.” A copper reduction plant and flour mills are there. The
surrounding area has deposits of coal, natural gas, silver, and lead. The
city is a trade center for a farm and livestock district irrigated by the
Sun River project. Industries include printing, publishing, and meatpacking
and the manufacture of feeds and fabricated metal products. The log cabin of
the cowboy artist Charles Russell is preserved as part of a museum
complex. Outside the city is Giant Springs, which discharges a large flow of
water into the Missouri River. The College of Great Falls and the Montana
School for the Deaf and Blind are in the city, which also serves as the
headquarters for Lewis and Clark National Forest. Tourists are drawn to the
annual rodeo and state fair. Malmstrom Air Force
Base
is nearby.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. Political Geography
