Revisiting Ryan Dam

Some years ago, I was asked to photograph Ryan Dam, which is ten miles downstream from Great Falls, Montana on the Missouri River. One of the photos would end up being 12 photos in total, each meticulously stitched together so it could be printed large. Very large. In fact, that photo now hangs inside Great Falls International Airport and is approximately 11 feet tall and 60+ feet wide and it greets visitors as they leave the terminal at Great Falls International Airport.

Ryan Dam is an engineering fete. Built in 1915, its six massive hydroelectric generators have the capacity to generate 60 megawatts of electricity. That’s enough electricity to power 45,000 homes. Here are some of the photos I have made of Ryan Dam, including those large electric generators in the powerhouse and some of the power lines that climb up out of the canyon from the massive hydroelectric dam to power a good chunk of central Montana.