Great Falls, MT

Great Falls takes its name from five waterfalls on the Missouri River, where the Lewis and Clark Expedition spent 31 days making a ten-mile portage in 1805. The Cascade County seat lies just east of the Rocky Mountain Front, with the river bisecting the city; its 2020 population was 60,442. Access to hydroelectric power helped make Great Falls a center for grain milling, meat refrigeration, and the surrounding farm-and-ranch economy. Its military presence includes Malmstrom Air Force Base and the 341st Missile Wing east of the city, plus Montana Air National Guard units at Great Falls International Airport. Along the river, the River’s Edge Trail extends almost 60 miles, while the C. M. Russell Museum preserves the artist’s house and studio.