Crooked Falls

Crooked Falls is the only of the five cataracts which make up the Great Falls of the Missouri River to remain in its (more or less) natural state. Though the river is still largely diverted around the 19-foot falls at the Rainbow Dam, the falls have been unharmed by development and still flow with regularity (albeit in a reduced capacity). The falls are formed by a large horseshoe-shaped cliff with a crest length of over 1,500 feet, which makes Crooked Falls the widest waterfall in Montana by a considerable margin. 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. Crooked Falls was distinctly singled out and named by both Meriwether Lewis and William Clark when the falls were discovered.