History of Black Eagle Dam
Search photos, prints and drawings of Black Eagle Dam on the Libarary of Congress website.
Black Eagle
About the Black Eagle Hydroelectric Facility
Found two miles downstream of the town of Great Falls Montana, this three-unit hydroelectric generation plant can be seen up close from the popular River's Edge Trail.
Built in 1927 by the Montana Power Company, Black Eagle is a part of a system of hydroelectric dams in the Great Falls area. While Black Eagle has a generating capacity itself of only 21 megawatts, the area dams combined have a generating capacity of a total of more than 220 megawatts, which is enough to power seven cities the size of Great Falls.
Black Eagle Dam Spillway project
This project will help enhance the integrity of the Black Eagle Dam.
Historic Namesake
Historic Namesake
Black Eagle Falls was named by Meriwether Lewis in 1805, when he spotted an eagle's nest in a cottonwood tree on a heavily wooded island below the falls and future dam site. More than 50 years later, observers continued to see dark colored eagles, just as Lewis had.
Eventually, the community of Black Eagle was born just across the Missouri River from Great Falls. For years this community was home to the Anaconda Company's copper smelting and refining operations.
The Beginning of an Era
The Beginning of an Era
The original Black Eagle Dam was finished in 1891, making it Montana's first hydroelectric dam built. This marked the beginning of the state's significant role in hydroelectric generation.
Due to increased demand for electricity in Great Falls and the surrounding area, the Montana Power company developed a plan to build a new dam, just below the original dam's location. Construction of the new dam began in 1926, and the dam and powerhouse were fully operational in September of 1927.
"Golden Kilowatts: Water Power and the Early Growth of Montana"
The book "Golden Kilowatts: Water Power and the Early Growth of Montana" by Butch Larcombe tells the history of Montana's dams.
Historic American Engineering Record (HAER)
The Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) was established in 1969 as one of the Heritage Documentation Programs administered by the National Park Service (NPS) to record the engineering and industrial heritage of the United States. HAER was created through agreements between the NPS, the Library of Congress, and several engineering societies.
HAER documents a variety of engineering and industrial sites, structures and objects. Transportation infrastructure, bridges, mines, industrial buildings/machinery and public utilities are all types of engineering and industrial heritage that have been recorded under this program. The goal of the HAER program is to record the engineering heritage that is subject to being lost due to a variety of factors. These may include technological advancements creating obsolescence, changing regulations surrounding health/environmental/public safety, and development issues. The NPS, through their Heritage Documentation Program, issues the guidelines for HAER documentation and its dissemination.
As part of the FERC licenses for the eleven hydroelectric facilities that NorthWestern Energy own and operate, HAER documentation is conducted when a project or upgrade is determined to have an adverse effect on a facility’s engineering heritage. After the HAER documentation is completed for a particular project or upgrade, NorthWestern Energy submits the documentation to the NPS for review and acceptance. Once accepted, the HAER program coordinates with the Library of Congress to store the document and disseminate it to the public on their website.
Each link below connects to the applicable HAER document available on the Library of Congress website. Visit Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) Documentation to learn more about the HAER documentation conducted at other NorthWestern Energy hydroelectric facilities.