Black Eagle Falls

Black Eagle Falls is the uppermost of the five waterfalls which make up the Great Falls of the Missouri River. The falls drop 26 feet and stretch about 570 feet from bank-to-bank. A dam sits at the top of the falls and diverts the vast majority of the flow of the river into an adjacent power station, though a small volume of water does seem to be allowed to flow over the falls at all times. During the peak of the spring melt however, the falls do swell in volume and begin to resemble its natural form.The waterfalls which make up Great Falls were discovered in 1805 by the Lewis and Clark expedition, and were immediately recognized as both a major impediment to travel further west using the Missouri River, as well as a major landmark. Black Eagle Falls was originally singled out and named Upper Pitch by the Lewis and Clark expedition, but was renamed by at least 1877 (possibly earlier).