How many people died building the Hungry Horse Dam?
Much of the preparatory work was dangerous, and twenty-three workers died during the dam’s construction.
Why is Montana called Hungry Horse?
Hungry Horse Dam received its name from two freight horses (Tex and Jerry) working in the Flathead River’s South Fork area. Stunned loggers nicknamed the gaunt survivors the “Mighty Hungry Horses”.
Why was the Hungry Horse Dam built?
Hungry Horse was built not for irrigation, as were so many other Reclamation dams, but to provide water storage that could be used to increase hydroelectric power production at Grand Coulee and Bonneville dams, downstream on the Columbia River.
When was the Hungry Horse Dam built?
July 18, 1953
Hungry Horse Dam/Opened
Can you tour Hungry Horse Dam?
Hungry Horse Dam is 500 feet tall and produces over 400 megawatts from its hydroelectric power plant. The dam does not have a tour and you cannot go into it or see the hydroelectric plant, but it does have a visitor center with exhibits showing how the dam was constructed.
Is Hungry Horse MT on an Indian reservation?
It has land in four of Montana’s counties: Lake, Sanders, Missoula, and Flathead, and controls most of Flathead Lake….Flathead Indian Reservation.
| Flathead Native American Reservation | |
|---|---|
| View northeastward across Hungry Horse Reservoir onto the Flathead Range, Montana | |
| Flag | |
| Location in Montana | |
| Tribe | Confederated Salish and Kootenai |
Who owns Hungry Horse Dam?
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
| Hungry Horse Dam | |
|---|---|
| Operator(s) | U.S. Bureau of Reclamation |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Concrete thick arch dam |
| Impounds | South Fork Flathead River |
What is the deepest lake in Montana?
Tally Lake
Tally Lake West of Whitefish in Flathead National Forest, Tally Lake is the deepest natural lake in Montana. With depths as far down as 445 feet, Tally Lake is also surrounded by mountainsides covered in trees.
How long does it take to drive around Hungry Horse Reservoir?
Access to the head of Hungry Horse Reservoir is excellent. A very scenic and decent condition gravel road (paved for a few miles near the dam) encircles the reservoir. Along the road are numerous campgrounds and boat launches. Note, this road is long—leave a good 3-4 hours if you plan to do the complete circle.
Who lives on the Flathead Indian Reservation?
THE PEOPLE The Flathead Indian Reservation is home to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes. The tribes are a combination of the Salish, the Pend d’Oreille and the Kootenai. Of the approximately 7,753 enrolled tribal members, about 5,000 live on or near the reservation.
How did Hungry Horse get its name?
Nursed back to health, Jerry later pulled a fire wagon in Kalispell, and Tex did the same for a mercantile company. And so the name Hungry Horse stuck. In 1953, Hungry Horse Dam was completed on the South Fork of the Flathead River, in a scenic spot surrounded by more than 25 mountain peaks.
What is the history of Hungry Horse Dam?
As early as 1921, the U.S. Geological Survey began studies of the Hungry Horse Dam site, but it wasn’t until 1943, with the nation in need of all the power it could find for war production plants, that organized support materialized.
How far is Hungry Horse Dam from Glacier National Park?
Just 15 miles from the west entrance of Glacier National Park and 44 miles from the Canadian border, Hungry Horse Dam knows the kind of winters that fur trappers experienced in the region in the early 1800s. When the snow flies in Montana, it can be a dangerous situation for man or beast, including horses.
How much power does Hungry Horse get?
Hungry Horse, its reservoir, and the four generators in its powerplant (which produce about one billion kilowatt hours of power a year) also provide flood control and electricity to the surrounding area, including the towns of Kalispell, Whitefish, and Columbia Falls.