THE Montana Earthquake! Remembering August 1959

In partnership with

Hello Everyone!

Where were you when…?

When Kennedy was shot, or when Neil Armstrong took that one small step? When Princess Diana died. Where were you when the Twin Towers fell? When Mount St. Helens blew.

How about when you heard the jury acquitted O.J.? Or even when Dave McNally hit his Grand Slam!

Then there was when Joe Roberts intercepted a pass from Tom Ehrhardt.

Yes, I remember all those times. While some of those memories obviously stem from more significant events than others, they still leave that ultimate lasting impression.

Included in the list of “I remember when…” is the night the earthquake hit Yellowstone. I was six years old.

“Hope you enjoy this week’s post and take a second to reflect on, in the case of the 1959 Yellowstone Earthquake, how quickly things can change.

Thanks and I’ll “see” you next week!

Charley Pike

Among Montana’s drinking class, a “ditch” is is not what carries irrigation water.

During the early mining days in Butte, saloons, eateries and brothels lined the city’s streets. Most were housed in crude shanties, shacks and dingy tents. Behind the lines of structures a myriad of ditches had been dug to move water though town and to the mines.

Butte’s saloon customers quickly learned the booze poured in the establishments was often of questionable quality and taste. In order to choke down their libations, they often asked that the whiskey be cut with water.

Bartenders—such as they were—would simply grab a bucket and retrieve water from the ditch that ran out back.

At some point it became easier for the patrons to order a “ditch” and skip the formalities of ordering a “whiskey and water.”

And the term has stuck in Montana and elsewhere. Charley even tried it out with a bartender at the Old Ebbitt Grill located steps away from the White House in Washington D.C.

Low and behold—the old buzzard replied, “You must be from Montana.”

Try it out the next time you belly up to a bar in Montana!

Late on the evening of Monday, August 17, 1959 southwestern Montana skies were crystal clear, winds were calm and the air was crisp. There was a hint of fall in the air.

Along the campgrounds scattered along the Madison River six miles from the western boundary of Yellowstone Park vacationers had doused their fires and settled in for a quiet night’s rest.

Under a waxing Gibbous moon a Forest Ranger and a campground host looked around for reported bear activity in the area. But by bedtime no pesky bears had been spotted.

The peace of the night changed at 11:37 pm when the Earth moved suddenly and violently six miles beneath Hebgen Lake.

The movement shot upward and began rocking the surrounding Madison Range. For 40 seconds one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded in the United States heaved the massive mountains up and down.

Nearly a minute after the first tremor surfaced, a massive slice of Sheep Mountain fell nearly 2000 feet. Eighty million tons of rock crashed into the river and surged up the northern side of the canyon at the mouth of the narrow river valley.

The people in the path of the 100 mile-per-hour landslide had no warning; no chance of escaping the disaster.

There were 28 victims of the quake—19 of whom are still entombed beneath the landslide.

Scores of other campers were trapped in the rubble. Some drowned in the swirling waters. Acts of heroism saved lives.

Upstream, the quake created tsunami-like waves on Hebgen Lake. For nearly an hour the waters rocked from one shore to the other.

Fifty million cubic yards of rock, mud and debris settled in the valley. Rocks the size of small houses had flown a mile up the other side of the canyon. Hurricane force winds flattened forests, tossing cars like toys.

Huge swells of turbid water soon washed over Hebgen Dam. Houses—lodges and cabins were flooded, sweeping people and their possessions downstream.

Survivors later said it looked like the whole mountain had fallen on them.

In the blink of an eye the landslide had dammed the Madison River. Behind the slide a new lake was rapidly forming. Earthquake Lake, as it would come to be known, was rising several feet each minute.

Seventy-year-old widow, Grace Miller owned a fishing lodge along the Madison River. She awoke to the noise. She ran out of the house with her dog and narrowly escaped as her house slipped down a 20-foot fault scarp into the river.

The next morning woman and dog were rescued. In the daylight she saw her nine-room home floating in the newly-formed lake.

Nearly 250 people—many badly injured—made their way to what was later named Refuge Point. They thought they had landed on another planet. The most seriously injured were evacuated by Air Force helicopters around midday,

A helicopter pilot named Ray Gerlach from Missoula rescued 21 people over several trips. 

The earthquake measured 7.2 on the moment magnitude scale. Shocks were felt as far away as the Pacific Coast and east into North Dakota.

Within Yellowstone Park, rock slides blocked roadways and bridges collapsed, hindering traffic as frightened Park visitors sought to escape what they though was widespread catastrophe.

Immediately after the initial evacuation and search for survivors, the Army Corps of Engineers raced in. Fearing that the rapidly rising new lake would breach and flood downstream towns, they cut a spillway through the slide to relieve the pressure.

Eventually the Corps set “Quake” Lake’s level at 6,394 feet above sea level - with 125-feet its deepest point. It now covers about 600 acres of the Madison River valley floor.

The effects of the earthquake on the hydrothermal features in Yellowstone are still observed today. The day after the quake 289 springs in the geyser basin of the Firehole River had erupted as geysers. Nearly 160 were springs with no previous record of eruption.

Over the following weeks, Old Faithful Geyser behaved more erratic than usual, with successive longer and shorter intervals between eruptions. Old Faithful's eruption interval has continued to increase since the quake and is now averaging about 93 minutes.

Damage to the Old Faithful Inn closed the iconic hotel where a large rock chimney collapsed.

There is now a visitor center and the slide near Refuge Point with exhibits and a movie dedicated to remembering the 1959 event that turned into a tragic human interest story. 

There is a massive boulder near the visitor center which rolled up the opposite side of the canyon. The boulder sits where it landed on that fateful night.

It has a plaque attached to it containing the names of the people who died in the earthquake.

Elevate Your Summer Style with Kenny Flowers

Whether you're teeing off on the golf course or lounging poolside, Kenny Flowers offers the quintessential tropical attire to make a statement this summer. Slip into their iconic, 19th-hole approved polos, and experience a slice of paradise wherever you go.

But their commitment to excellence doesn't stop at style – they’re all about quality too. Each garment is ethically made with meticulous attention to detail, ensuring unmatched comfort and durability that lasts from one vacation to the next.

This summer, indulge yourself and your loved ones with their latest vacation pieces, including their popular matching sets. Bonus: As a subscriber, enjoy an exclusive 10% off with code FLOWERS10.

Shop their newest releases and elevate your summer wardrobe today.