Grey Lightning: Great Falls Greyhounds
Great Falls Tribune Clipping, Monday July 28, 1947
Great Falls Tribune Clipping, Wednesday July 30, 1947
Greyhound racing came to Great Falls in 1947. The Montana Greyhound Racing Association opened a track just north of the Great Falls Livestock Yards. The bleachers could seat 1200 people. The track, however, suffered struggles from the start. After its first year, it had to close due to nonpayment of federal taxes and in 1949 it was sold. Another attempt was made to run the track in 1950, but the new owner ran into the same problem.
Aerial Photograph, 1957. We couldn’t find an actual photo of the track, but this is roughly where it would have been. You can see the livestock grounds where North 40 is now. This at least gives you an idea of how empty the west side area was.
It wasn’t until 1959 that greyhound racing was able to find good funding and big hype. It was a venture by the Great Falls Rehabilitation Center and the Cascade County Kennel Club. One percent of the season’s gross receipts as well as all the proceeds of a charity night were designated to the Rehabilitation center. The track was taken over shortly by Jerry Collins of Florida. He brought up the Rehabilitation Center’s cut up to two percent, giving the center nearly $24,000 in 1961.
Great Falls Tribune Clipping, Thursday December 17, 1959
Program for Glacier Greyhound Park, August 18, 1961 from The History Museum Vertical Files
Racing Roster from the Fourth Race, from inside of August 18,1961 Program
Promotional Map inside of Program of Great Falls with Glacier Greyhound Park marked with a Maltese cross and greyhound image. From inside of the August 18,1961 Program.
It seems though that greyhound racing was just not meant to stay in Great Falls nor Montana. In 1963, then-Cascade County Attorney Gene Daley obtained a restraining order to prevent the track from starting its second 30-day racing season of the summer. He contended that the two kennel associations (Cascade County and Montana) had interlocking directors and co-owned the property in an illegal attempt to circumvent state law, which allowed an association to run races only 30 days a year.
The Montana Supreme Court in November 1964 took it further, ruling that there could be only 30 days of pari-mutuel racing each year within a county, to include both horse and dog racing. The State Fair’s horse racing was given first dibs having been in operation longer. With the number of days available for dog racing reduced from 60 to about 20 a year, it was no longer feasible to bring 500-600 greyhounds and their trainers to Great Falls, so the dog track closed. A few years later, the Montana Legislature passed a law banning dog racing in the state.
Great Falls Tribune Clipping, Friday July 22, 1960
Great Falls Tribune Clipping, Sunday August 20, 1961