4 minute read
Rowe Dam
Century-old dam gets a new name to honor retired NorthWestern Energy CEO Bob Rowe.
Many of NorthWestern Energy’s hydro facilities in Montana bear the names of pioneering power company leaders.
Cochrane Dam, Morony Dam and Ryan Dam were all named after leaders who shaped Montana Power Co. and later NorthWestern Energy into the company it is today. Now a century-old dam with a new name is added to that list – Rowe Dam at Mystic Lake.
At a ceremony in August, Mystic Dam, located about 75 miles southwest of Billings, Montana, was renamed to honor recently retired NorthWestern Energy CEO Bob Rowe.
Bob served at the helm of NorthWestern Energy for 14 years, making him the longest-serving CEO in the company’s history. During his tenure, Bob took a company that had just emerged from bankruptcy and rebuilt it to responsibly serve the people of Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. He also rebuilt the culture and employees’ trust in the company. In return, Bob was loved and respected by employees at all levels of the company.
“It’s a huge job; it’s a stressful job,” said current NorthWestern Energy CEO Brian Bird, who took over after Bob retired. “We never knew he was stressed out. Bob was always happy and kind to us.”
The best thing Bob did during his tenure with the company was leading the purchase of NorthWestern Energy’s hydro assets in 2014, Brian said.
“What do you do for a guy who had that kind of impact on the company?” Brian asked during the Rowe Dam dedication.
Not long after NorthWestern purchased the Mystic Hydro Plant, along with 10 other hydro facilities in Montana, Bob and Brian took a tour of Mystic.
“I remember talking to Bob about how cool this is,” Brian said of that visit nine years ago.
So when Bob retired in December 2022, he was presented with a surprise – Mystic Dam would be officially renamed Rowe Dam at Mystic Lake. Just like Hauser Dam, Hebgen Dam and Holter Dam, Rowe Dam honors Bob’s incredible impact on NorthWestern Energy and Montana.
“Those people were all influential in the development of energy in Montana,” Brian said.
In order to rename the dam, NorthWestern Energy had to file a request with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and consult with the U.S. Forest Service. Rowe Dam is located in a truly stunning spot, just outside the Beartooth Wilderness Area. Mystic Hydro Plant was brought into service on March 20, 1925. The powerhouse is located alongside West Rosebud Creek. Rowe Dam sits 1,130 feet above the powerhouse at the tail of Mystic Lake, at an elevation of 7,673 feet. The two-unit plant has a generating capacity of 12 megawatts.
“I was absolutely flabbergasted when they shared the news,” Bob said. “I could not have imagined anything like that.”
On the day of the dam renaming ceremony, Bob walked across Rowe Dam for the first time since it was renamed, the sun shining on Mystic Lake and the high peaks of the Beartooth Mountains jutting toward the blue sky in the distance. In one direction, he could see some of Montana’s peaks; in the other, he could see the chain of lakes far below.
“This feels pretty incredible,” Bob said.
