Holter
About the Holter Hydroelectric Facility
Holter Dam is a four-unit hydroelectric plant on the Missouri River, about 43 miles northeast of Helena, Montana with a generating capacity of 48 megawatts. It is considered a “run-of-river” project because it can generate electricity using the water that flows down the river, without the need to store additional water supplies.
After the failure of the upstream Hauser dam, Samuel Hauser launched an ambitious plan to rebuild it and construct another at Wolf Creek in the same timeframe. Unfortunately, this ambition did not see complete success, while reconstruction of the Hauser dam was completed in 1911, Holter was eventually stalled until 1916 as a victim of cost overruns and false optimism. The initial generation unit went online in 1917 and was joined in 1918 by three others at the dam's commissioning.
Historic Namesake
Historic Namesake
Anton Holter came to the United States from Norway in 1854 when he was just 23 years old. Starting his business by selling lumber to mining operations, gaining the name of "father of the mining business in Montana," with lumberyards statewide. He founded the A.M. Holter Hardware Company, and became in a variety of mining, agricultural, and real estate ventures.
Along with the dam and lake, Holter Art Museum in Helena is named for Holter and his family members. Holter died at age 90 in 1921 from old age.
The Mighty MO
The Mighty MO
Holter Dam fronts a reservoir, Holter Lake, with a capacity of 240,000 acre-feet of water. This lake is a popular spot for fishing and water recreation. The water released below the dam into the Missouri River helps maintain one of the state's premier tailwater trout fisheries.
"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.
Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) Documentation
Holter Hydroelectric Facility:
- Holter Hydroelectric Facility, End of Holter Dam Road, Wolf Creek, Lewis and Clark County, MT
- Holter Hydroelectric Facility, House No. 1, End of Holter Dam Road, Wolf Creek, Lewis and Clark County, MT
- Holter Hydroelectric Facility, House No. 2, End of Holter Dam Road, Wolf Creek, Lewis and Clark County, MT
- Holter Hydroelectric Facility, House No. 4, End of Holter Dam Road, Wolf Creek, Lewis and Clark County, MT
- Holter Hydroelectric Facility, House No. 7, End of Holter Dam Road, Wolf Creek, Lewis and Clark County, MT
- Holter Hydroelectric Facility, House No. 8, End of Holter Dam Road, Wolf Creek, Lewis and Clark County, MT
- Holter Hydroelectric Facility, Mechanic's Garage, End of Holter Dam Road, Wolf Creek, Lewis and Clark County, MT
- Holter Hydroelectric Facility, Dam & Power House, End of Holter Dam Road, Wolf Creek, Lewis and Clark County, MT
- Holter Hydroelectric Facility, Three-Car Garage, End of Holter Dam Road, Wolf Creek, Lewis and Clark County, MT
- Holter Hydroelectric Facility, Four-Car Garage, End of Holter Dam Road, Wolf Creek, Lewis and Clark County, MT