Home of Malmstrom AFB and Montana Air National Guard
Military Pride and Heritage
Great Falls has had a long association with the U.S. Military. The first military unit to operate in the area was the Corp of Discovery in 1805. It took about a month for Captains Lewis and Clark and the Corps to portage the falls for which the City is named.
In 1939, the Great Falls Chamber of Commerce started advocating for a military base, and by 1942 Great Falls was involved in air support for World War II in a big way.
In June of 1942, the 7th Ferrying Group set up headquarters at the Municipal Airport and started building Gore Field airbase. Starting that September, Great Falls was the origin point for Lend-Lease aircraft flights to the Soviet Union using the Alaska-Siberian Route. That same year, Great Falls Army Air Base opened on the east side of Great Falls. The "East Base" eventually assumed many of the Lend-Lease ferrying duties which led to the closing of Gore Field in 1945.
In 1947, Great Falls Army Air Base was transferred to the Air Force and became Great Falls Air Force Base. That same year, Gore Field was reactivated as the Montana Air National Guard. Great Falls Air Force Base was renamed Malmstrom Air Force Base in June of 1956.
The missions have changed over the years, but to this day, Great Falls benefits from these two bases that sit on the east and west sides of our community. The economic impact of these bases is large, as are the contributions the air men and women make in service to our local community.
