Great Falls, Montana

Great Falls is a city located in Cascade County, Montana, in the north-central part of the state. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,690. It is the county seat of Cascade County{{GR|6}}. Great Falls is famous for having the shortest river in the world nearby, the Roe River. The city is home to Montana State University, University of Great Falls and the Montana School for the Deaf and the Blind. The local newspaper is the Great Falls Tribune.

History

Founded in 1883 by entrepreneur Paris Gibson and railroad magnate Jim Hill, Great Falls began as a planned power city, situated to take advantage of the hydroelectric power of the water falls of the Missouri river. William J. Furdell described as "a businessman's town." It was said that the city "couldn't pont to a boot hill or a hangin' tree."

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Great Falls quickly became a thriving industrial center with a copper smelter, a rich ethnic of workers, and the studio of Western artist Charles M. Russell.

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