Rainbow Falls
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Location | Great Falls, Montana, United States |
|---|---|
| Type | Block |
| Total height | 47 feet |
| Number of drops | 1 |
Rainbow Falls (originally "Handsome Falls") is a waterfall on the Missouri River in Great Falls, Montana, just upstream from the Crooked Falls and downstream from Colter Falls and Rainbow Dam. It is 47 feet high and 1,320 feet wide. The waterfalls are part of the five-tiered Great Falls of the Missouri. The river spills over a sheer ledge of sandstone in the Kootenai Formation, forming the falls. The falls used to flow (with a great deal of force) year-round but in 1914 the river shortly upstream was dammed for hydroelectric power, so it can almost totally dry up in the summer.
[edit] History
Rainbow Falls was first discovered by the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Rainbow Falls and downstream Crooked Falls are the only two waterfalls on the Missouri-Mississippi river system to remain in an almost-natural condition. Black Eagle Falls and Great Falls are half- occupied by their dams' powerhouses, and Colter's Falls is submerged. They named it Rainbow Falls for obvious reasons.
[edit] Location
The waterfall is located in Great Falls, Montana.
 |
This Montana state location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
