Terra Cotta Quest Scavenger Hunt
Embark on the Terra Cotta Quest to identify the historic fired-façades of downtown Great Falls!
To participate in the scavenger hunt, come by the museum or the Downtown Great Falls Association office and pick up a clue sheet or download one from our website. You will be locating buildings downtown based on their terra cotta decoration. Write down the address, the building location, or a business currently in the building. Bring your clue sheet back to the museum to be entered into a drawing for a gift basket including a $25 gift card from the Downtown Great Falls Association. Clue sheets are available now and must be submitted by October 30th at 5pm. The winner will be notified by November 6th.
Why terra cotta?
At a time for growth in Great Falls during the 1910s and 1920s, terra cotta was an affordable option for building ornamentation. Glazed architectural terra cotta could be mass-produced in molds, mimicking expensive carved stone at a fraction of the cost and weight. Its versatility suited popular architectural styles like Beaux-Arts eclectic and added intricate, colorful detailing on high facades. Building details like these would have arrived by railroad.