Great Falls, MT

Rock Ridge Crossing

Great Falls has a very rich history for the Pikuni people and the Blackfoot Confederacy. It is surrounded by a multitude of buffalo jumps. The Pikuni had a name that referred to being able to easily cross the Missouri River. This name is Ee-Boom-ee Stuck-squee, which translates to “rock ridge crossing.” I grew up thinking it was Rock Bridge Crossing for some reason. I’ve never seen it naturally, but I’ve been told that there were several waterfalls in this area and a very well-known hot spring. The waterfalls at this location were significant to the Pikuni because they made the crossing on foot easier in the summer months after the annual runoff.

Thanks to James Willard Schultz, we get the first true documentation of this area. He wrote a book on Hugh Monroe titled “Rising Wolf: The White Blackfoot.” This book centers on Hugh Monroe’s first year among the Pikuni. When Hugh Monroe first lived with the Pikuni he camped with Lone Walkers Band. They travelled from modern-day Calgary to Yellowstone. On his travels, they had stopped and camped “right where the whites are building the town they have named Great Falls.” When looking at the area today, you will find train tracks, housing complexes, buildings, and a city filled with concrete. I imagine that, before all that, it was quite a beautiful sight and a great flat campsite for the constantly roaming nomadic Pikuni people.

Today the water falls of the great falls is a pitiful sight to see due to the big man made dam. The river downstream of this dam is very small and no longer free-flowing, altering its environment and habitat significantly. The rock ridges of one of the falls are visible and remain dry year round.

— As told by elder Molly Bullshoe.