Colter Falls

Colter Falls was the smallest of the five cataracts which make up the Great Falls of the Missouri River, with a drop of only six feet. The falls were however submerged beneath the pooled river behind the Rainbow Dam when it was constructed in 1910. Some sources suggest that the Missouri River drops over 600 feet over the three mile run between Black Eagle Falls and Big Falls. Even taking into account the dam on top of Black Eagle Falls, the actual drop of the river to the bottom of Big Falls is just over 406 feet, and given that there are extensive stretches of flat water behind each of the dams, Great Falls should not be considered a collective series of waterfalls in the least.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. Colter Falls was named in honor of John Colter, a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition.