Great Falls is a city in central Montana with a population of about 60 thousand people. Here was that Wild West, which we imagine from books and films - only even more wild, with Indians, heavy snowfalls in the cold winter, dense dense forests and serious animals in them. Here flows the shortest river in the world, and around the city the most beautiful places of Montana stretch (if not the whole country or even the world). And here is one of the world's most famous bars with a unique concept.

How to get to Great Falls

From the Calgary Canada airport shuttle bus runs all the year round to Great Falls. In Great Falls, too, there is an international airport, but it is much more interesting to go here by car. Interstate-15 leads to it, and the road from Helena to Great Falls, describing the wide curves along the Missouri River, is one of the most beautiful in the country.

A bit of history

The first Paleo-Indians migrated to this area about 11 thousand . years ago . Since then there lived, albeit not always, different Indian tribes . The first European to be here was Maryewether Lewis in 1805 ., and the city itself was founded in 1883 . @ Businessman Paris Gibson, who found himself here in 1880 ., was impressed by the potential of these places and immediately appreciated the benefits from the point of view of the industry that the location near the waterfalls offered . From 1950 to 1970 . Great Falls was the most round and up to 2000 . remained the second largest . The city received its name because of the five waterfalls that are located nearby in the Missouri River Basin . They were discovered by the expedition of Lewis and Clark, who was forced make a hook in this place more than 17 km just because of the river . Today on each of the waterfalls there is a hydroelectric station, and from here appeared one of the nicknames Great Falls - "electric city" .

Entertainment, excursions and sights Great Falls

Art Museum Complex . M . Russell was in the first line It was created to showcase the work of the "cowboy artist" Charles Russell . Here are also exhibited Russell's illustrated letters, his working materials and other items that can help visitors understand the life story and work habits Russell . In addition to this, the museum can examine the collection works of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, whose themes are the American Old West, as well as flora, fauna and landscapes of the American West . In 2009 . "Wall Street Journal" called the museum "one of the leading museums in Western America art ». On the territory The structure of the complex is the working hut Russell and its two-story house with a preserved wooden frame . Both buildings were recognized as national historical sites .

One of the most outstanding city structures is the railway depot building, which grew here during the "golden era" of railways. Then the railway station was often a kind of analogue of the medieval city gate, and the Great Falls depot is exactly that. This building with a rectangular tower 40 meters tall, which still dominates the urban landscape. As a station, this structure is no longer used, but the bright inscription "Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul's Railroad" is still proudly adorned at the top of the tower.

Giant Springs is a great underground source near the city . The temperature of its water remains almost always constant - +12 ° C . The source feeds the melting snow of the Little Belt Mountains, which is almost 100 km away from here . According to scientific data, water takes 26 years to do a journey underground and again come to the surface in this source .The source is located on the territory of the State Park of Giant Springs, which is just downstream and south-west of the city, on the east bank of Missouri .Part of the water is bottled for drinking, part - used in trout cages .National Park Giant Springs - the most visited in Montana .

The Row River flows between Giant Springs and Missouri. It is officially considered the shortest in the world. The length of the Row River is only 61 m, while near the end the river becomes surprisingly deep (at least 2 m). The campaign to introduce the river into the Guinness Book of Records as the shortest in the world was started by students of the Lincoln City School in 1888 - and succeeded. However, since 2006 the record book does not define more "the world's shortest rivers".

In terms of cultural life in the city you can have a good time .First, there is a symphony orchestra, founded in 1959 ., which usually gives a series of concerts throughout the year .Secondly, in Great Falls there is an absolutely exceptional tiki bar "Sip'n'Dyp" .It was opened in 1962 ., when the Polynesian theme was terribly popular, and has come down to our days practically unchanged .The bar is located inside a local motel and is famous for its female mermaids scurrying under the water directly in the room, in a pool with glass walls, which are simultaneously the windows of the bar .Another famous feature of the bar is the pianist "Piano Pat" Sponheim, she has been playing here since 1963 .and has already developed her own unique jazz style .In 2003, .GQ Magazine brought "Sip'n'Dyp" to the list of the top 10 bars in the world, calling it "the No. 1 bar for which it's worth to fly" .Star patrons of the bar - Nick Nolte and Daryl Hannah, who repeated her movie of the mermaid, swimming in the pool of the bar with the mermaid's tail .Both actors signed on the pool glass, but two years later both autographs disappeared when the glass cracked .

Interpretative center of Lewis and Clark is worth a visit to those who are interested in the history of the development of the Wild West. This center is fighting for the right to be considered the best of the other similar institutions between St. Louis and Astoria in Oregon. Its exhibitions are very detailed and impressive. From the center you can go to the Missouri River, on the same path that the pioneers passed 200+ years ago.

All Montana residents are believed to like to soak their throats after a day's work, and Great Falls is no exception. If within a walking distance there is no bar - then probably you are outside the city. The main city street is 10th South Avenue, it stretches for about 13 km, and here the concentration of bars is the highest. Also, they are enough on Central Avenue.

Great Falls neighborhood

The neighborhood of the city is Montana, and Montana can be traveled for a very long time solely for the sake of its stunning nature. Go to the dam Ryan, which is on the waterfalls, and look at the respectable hydropower station, then walk along the footpaths to admire the spectacles of a different kind. Relax in a shady park by having a picnic in the wild (sometimes a bear wanders here, but in general places are safe).

At 22 km from the city is located the state park Buffalo-Jamp, in Ulm-Pishkun. Hundreds of years before the arrival of Europeans, the most effective way to fill the buffalo for the Indians was to drive the beast onto a steep cliff and make it jump off. In this national park there is one of the largest places for such "buffalo jumps" in the US: it stretches more than a mile and has been continuously used for more than 500 years in a row. There is a small but first-class museum on the territory, where you can find out the whole story in detail.

After the discovery of gold in Montana, Fort Benton became the first destination, where the luck hunters were rushing. The construction itself is still preserved, like the old steamer, which can also be seen here. In addition, today on the territory of the fort there are several museums where you can learn more about the history of one of the wildest cities in the Wild West. Highwood Mountains is a mountain range located about 70 km from Great Falls. This is the place where travelers can feel themselves in real wild wilds, while not too far from the city. They go there with a hike for several days, spending the night, for example, in the campsite Taine Creek.

The Glacier National Park, according to many, can be called one of the most beautiful places in the world. Go to it from the Great Falls about 3 hours, moving to the north-west. This national park is absolutely a must for a day trip. Incredible mountain peaks, dramatic valleys carved by glaciers, secluded alpine lakes, bubbling waterfalls and much more are waiting for travelers here. There are many camping sites on the territory.