Montana still has a reputation for being a bit wild and untamed. This is the home where the buffalo still roam, and wild horses run free across the plains. The town of Great Falls was originally inhabited by Paleo-Indians, and many of their marks on the area still remain. Current residents and visitors can find museums throughout the area with artifacts and exhibits detailing the very first settlers to the area.

The plains and mountains of Montana were perfect for the hunters and gatherers. There was never a shortage of food supply, with crops growing easily and bison grazing close by. The same soil that sustained the Salish Indians still provides the residents of Montana with some of the best locally grown produce in the country. Often, the corn and potatoes that you buy in the grocery store came from Montana. Great Falls takes pride in the food that it produces, as well as the many handcrafts that are created from resources in the area.

Montana was introduced to the rest of the country through the exploration of Lewis and Clark in 1806. The two men are still considered great heroes, and Great Falls features the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center where visitors can learn about the trip. The center also features several exhibits on the local Native Americans, as well as lectures and special presentations on the fur trappers and other notable people of Great Falls history.

Great Falls is now a huge supplier of electricity. The waterfalls and hydroelectric dams in the area have earned the town the nickname “Electric City.” While we are still learning about the power of water, Great Falls has long been an industrial city. The city’s industrial history is still visible in many of the buildings, though modern buildings and structures now accompany them.

Great Falls, Montana is known as the Electric City. Despite its modernistic nickname, the area actually has some B.C. era history. The area’s first inhabitants were Paleo-Indians. More Indian tribes occupied the land as the years passed. The United States declared Great Falls its own in the year 1803. This area was included in the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Interestingly, the first black and white man’s visits to the area were recorded in history; they were, respectively, Meriwether Lewis and York, the explorer.

The area never quite progressed into a productive territory until the year 1823, when settlers led a fur-trading expedition. Within the same century, ownership of the Great Falls area changed hands frequently between states, not to mention Indians and Americans. The actual city was founded in the year 1883 and incorporated in 1888. Paris Gibson was the first industrialist to enter the city and was impressed at the site of Great Falls, MT, a place he felt could support hydroelectricity. He convinced his friends to invest in a town site by the area and to extend a railroad through it. It wasn’t long until Great Falls, Montana started to thrive as a major focal point of business in Montana.

When a military base opened near the city during the 1940s, the city experienced another resurgence, but that wasn’t enough to stop a recession caused by reduced rail and freight transportation, and the slowing of the heartland industry. Today, Great Falls, Montana real estate is still a powerful force in the Montana area. The city is still home to notable landmarks like the C. M. Russell Museum Complex, Giant Springs, the Roe River and the University of Great Falls.

Why was the city originally called the “Electric City?” Because it still has five hydroelectric dams located along the Missouri River. Why not come and look for Great Falls, Montana real estate? The city has a rich history and a thriving culture to this very day!