Running Eagle Falls by western artist Howard Terpning

Running Eagle Falls by Howard Terpning.

 

Running Eagle Falls, located in Montana’s grand East Glacier Park, was originally home to the Blackfeet Indians, who controlled the vast prairies east of the mountains. The falls are unique in that water rushes over the upper fall so dense that the lower fall is completely hidden in the spring, but by late summer the flow decreases and the water seems to change course and flow almost exclusively out of the lower fall. It’s this unusual behavior which gave Running Eagle its nickname, the Trick Falls.

 

By the early 1800s, French, English and Spanish trappers came in search of beaver. As the number of people moving west steadily increased, the Blackfeet, Salish and Kootenai were forced onto reservations. It wasn’t until around the turn of the 20th century that people started to look at the land differently. Rather than just seeing the minerals they could mine or land to settle on, they started to recognize the value of its spectacular scenic beauty and rich history.

 

This is the first miniature Terpning canvas released in four years. (2003)