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  • Holter Dam 100 years
    Updated On: Sep 17, 2018

    For a century, Holter Dam has stood 110 feet above the Missouri River. The fortress of concrete spans more than 1,300 feet, holding Holter Reservoir upstream from a blue ribbon stretch of trout water below.

    On Tuesday, NorthWestern Energy recognized those who constructed the dam and the 100 years of service it has provided. About 100 people attended a celebration that included public tours of the dam and speeches about its history and operation.

    “This is a celebration of Montana’s legacy,” Bob Rowe, president and CEO of NorthWestern, said with the backdrop of the dam behind him.

    Holter Dam's namesake is Anton Holter, a Norwegian businessman who supplied lumber to area mining operations. Along with Samuel Hauser, Holter began construction of what was then called the Wolf Creek Project in 1908, when a portion of Hauser Dam upstream failed and the debris damaged its downstream counterpart.

    Hauser Dam was completed in 1911, but cost overruns halted construction of Holter -- that is until the formation of Montana Power Company, which took charge in 1912. Work resumed on the dam in 1916 with completion in 1918. During that time, 500 people lived on-site for construction.

    “This is an extraordinary facility, 100 years old, the people who had the vision had names like Holter and Hauser, and if you’ve had a chance to look at that history it was complicated and it almost didn’t happen,” Rowe said. “There were a lot of challenges and missteps along the way.”

    Montana Power Company owned the dam until 1999 with a sale to PPL Montana. NorthWestern bought PPL’s hydro facilities in 2014.

    Rowe called hydropower the “core of our Montana electric portfolio,” serving customers while also providing fish habitat and recreation opportunities. Hydropower operates year-round, allowing the company to integrate with less consistent renewables, stabilize the grid and meet peak demand, he said.

    Despite its age, Holter has been well maintained and its electrical systems progressively modernized, Rowe said, although much of the original infrastructure remains.

    Jeremy Clotfelter is the director of hydropower operations for NorthWestern, overseeing the company’s 11 Montana dams. He marveled at the craftsmanship that allows much of the facility to remain unchanged.

    “For me, one of the coolest things about what we do is to be able to work on facilities and plants that have been here for a century,” he said. “We have several in the state that are at this age or older, and that’s why we’re here, to celebrate the great longevity and the value that Holter has brought to our customers and communities in the state for 100 years. How many other industries or careers or jobs out there can actually stake that claim?”

    LeRoy Coleman, communications director for the National Hydropower Association, noted the historical significance that hydropower has played and continues to play in providing energy.

    “Since 1918 this facility has been providing clean, renewable, sustainable, affordable, reliable energy. You pick the adjective, Holter has done it,” he said.


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