Historical Attractions – Wander the Old West - Resource Guide Homepage

The history of the Old West truly comes alive in Great Falls. From the Plains Indian tribes who first made this area their home, to the explorers, cowboys, and homesteaders, and cattle barons who followed, they’ve all left their mark on this place.

Try your hand at a 19th century expedition skill by stopping at the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River. Attend a live program any time of the year and experience the adventures of the Lewis and Clark Expedition exploring the newly purchased Louisiana territory and searching for a “Northwest Passage” to the Pacific Ocean. Join U.S. Army captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark as they lead the 1804-1806 expedition. Learn about cultures of Plains and Northwest Indians they met.

Photo Courtesy of Art Taft © 2004

Start your visit to the interpretive center managed by the USDA Forest Service by stopping at the front desk, where staff will alert you to the day’s special activities and you can choose an audio tour to enhance your visit. View a 30-minute open-captioned feature film in the 158-seat theater. Then, explore the large exhibit hall. Enter replicas of Indian dwellings, test your ability to pull a boat against the Missouri’s relentless current, and negotiate for horses to cross the mountains. Along the way, gaze up at the two-story life-size diorama portraying the portage around the great falls of the Missouri River.

Multiple walking trails invite you along the bluff, down to the river, and over to Giant Springs State Park. View and learn about native plants by following a self-guided trail. In summer, join a ranger for an outdoor program or guided walk. Enjoy the river and the opposite bluff as backdrops during seasonal programs in an outdoor amphitheater.

Bring the whole family, because the interpretive center offers activities for all ages. In the summer, sign up the children for half-day camps or the Junior Explorer program. During the school year, make sure their school takes advantage of education programs.

The center is handicapped accessible and offers parking for tour buses and RVs. Admission: $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and college students, $2 for youths (6-17). Children 5 and younger are free. Inquire about a group rate. Federal passports honored. Located at 4201 Giant Springs Road, 727-8733, or visit www.fs.fed.us/r1/lewisclark/lcic.

A look at our area’s more recent homesteader and cowboy past can be found at the Cascade County Historical Society in the High Plains Heritage Center. From the first rough and tumble cowboys who camped here to the homesteaders who created a new life on this western edge of the great American prairie, to the visionaries, who built our city, you will enjoy a history that is informative and entertaining. Located at 422-2nd Street South, 452-3462.

A Cliff at Ulm Pishkun State Park

For more than 1,500 years, native peoples stampeded buffalo over the cliffs at Ulm Pishkun State Park. One of the oldest, longest and most used buffalo jumps in the country, this site draws visitors into the past of the Northern Plains, when the buffalo was king and provided food, lodges, tools and more to Native Americans. Visitor’s Center, I-15 to Ulm, then 3.5 miles north, 866-2217.

The original town site of Great Falls is a place of tree-lined boulevards and historic homes, all on view as part of the self-guided Historic Great Falls Walking Tour. The district is on the National Register of Historic Places and features 216 buildings, most constructed between 1885 and 1945. The Bungalow, Prairie, Colonial, Revival, Queen Anne, Victorian and Second Empire architectural styles are all represented here, 452-3462. In addition, there are several guided tours ready to show the best of the city. For more information call the Great Falls Area Chamber at 761-4434 or 771-0885.

2004 © GF Museum Consortium