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.
Learn More Purchase the book online