Hungry Horse town & Dam, Montana

Posted byChristi IfferganPosted inMontanaTags:, ,

One of the towns I visit frequently is Hungry Horse, Montana.  I was curious about the name & the librarian in me had to find the answer. 

Hungry Horse town statue

This small Montana town got its name from a pair of prodigal horses, Tex & Jerry, that broke loose from a pack string just before the first big snow of the season in early 1900. They lasted through a month of hard winter and were found alive and skinny chest deep in snow drifts. From then on, what is now a small town in the shadow of Columbia Mountain, hemmed in by the Middle Fork and South Fork of the Flathead River, became known as Hungry Horse.

Now that I had the answer for the town name, I wanted to visit the Hungry Horse Dam.

At 564 feet high, Hungry Horse is one of the largest concrete arch dams in the United States, and its morning-glory spillway, with water cascading over the rim and dropping 490 feet, is the highest in the world.
A view of the “glory hole” spillway, passing about 225,000 gallons per second.
August 7, 1953

Hungry Horse Reservoir captures spring runoff to reduce flood damage along the Flathead & Columbia River systems in Montana, Idaho, Washington & Oregon.  The reservoir remains high throughout the summer for recreation—fishing, boating, swimming & waterskiing.   The dam releases water during the fall & winter to produce electricity. 

Published by Christi Iffergan

Hi! I am Christi, a full-time RV traveller since August 2021. I have always loved to travel, but COVID-19 put a stop to that. I was fast approaching 50, my condo was being placed up for sale and I was ready for a major change. Originally from a tiny town in rural Southwest Virginia, I am the mother to one son and a rescue Shih Tzu, Cappy. For the last 20 years, I worked in public library systems around the Charlotte & Myrtle Beach areas. I met some amazing people and made great friends along the way. Follow along on my adventures as I travel the US. I hope that our paths will cross one day!

12 thoughts on “Hungry Horse town & Dam, Montana”

  7. Another interesting trip with Christi! That looks like a very beautiful place! So glad you find all of these neat places for us to see! Take care and be safe1 Love, Vicki

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  9. So interesting! Love learning about dams and their structure. What would we do without librarians?
    Many thanks from a friend of Loretta in NC. And thanks for sharing all your adventures.

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