These trees died after being inundated by the impounding of the Madison River. Copyright 2020 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. The havoc began shortly before midnight when visitors and locals alike were rudely awakened by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake. But 19 people never made it out. But he still knew what happened that night in the Madison River Canyon. That night a chain of natural events turned this peaceful vacation spot into a devasting death trap in which almost 30 people perished. It is the strongest quake recorded in the Rocky Mountains. But the lake itself was heavily affected by the 7.3 quake. The good news for tourists? It hadn’t been open in decades, it was closed as soon as they had other roads opened and it would never open again.”. It was preceded by a magnitude-6.3 foreshock, and followed by more than 350 aftershocks over the next four days. Although the Army Corps of Engineers began to breach this dam a few weeks after the catastrophe, the outflow was kept to a minimum so as not to wreak havoc by producing a sudden flood downstream. If you go now, you will see it constantly erupting - it hasn’t stopped since Aug. 17, 1959.The ‘59 quake damaged the tracks and caused $30,000 - $40,000 of damage to the train company’s dining hall. Most have something in common. At least four times the sloshing of the lake caused water to overtop Hebgen Dam, resulting in cracks and severe erosion. - The Hebgen Lake earthquake is the largest recorded earthquake in Montana's history. “We couldn’t walk anywhere.”. They feature photos taken by John Owen, who was 15 at the time of the quake. The dining hall fireplace was repaired immediately in 1959. - This Saturday night, at 11:35 p.m., will mark the 60th anniversary of the largest earthquake ever recorded in the Rocky Mountains. “The chimney to the left sheared off and fell on the porch next to her,” said Yetter. That 1989 California quake was about the same size as the Hebgen Quake. At least 19 people were buried alive in this giant slide. In 1959, it was the main road between Old Faithful and West Yellowstone. In fact, a beauty contest had entertained guests earlier in the evening. “And almost cut his arm off,” Yetter recalled. “We don’t believe that earthquakes can get much larger in this region,” said Mike Stickney, Director of Earthquake Studies for Montana Tech in Butte.Books and articles have been written about the tragedy. Hebgen Lake is a popular vacation spot near Yellowstone National Park. “You know, it’s the human story to hear how some families were separated,” said Joanne Girvan, Director, Earthquake Lake Visitor Center .Stories like how three children survived but their parents were killed by a giant rock. This was the largest earthquake in recorded history in Montana. Had heard about Quake Lake for a number of years. PART II: Waves and tremors at Hebgen Lake threaten dam. That’s a big wave that runs from one end of the lake to the other. “Anything that we build now, we make sure that it is up to great standards for seismic activity.”. “The fireplace here kind of twisted on its axis, so that two of the four flues were blocked,” said Yellowstone National Park Historian, Alicia Murphy. But it took 45 years to finish repairs on the the main fireplace.The building was evacuated immediately following the 7.3 quake. Very often it is not a single instant but a chain of events which turn a rare natural occurrence into a devastating natural disaster. Her father had heard the fishing was good. Twenty-foot fault scarps that opened up that night are still visible, if grown over. They’re still there, buried below a mountain of rubble.Owen did not suffer from traumatic stress. The earth continues to shake along the old fault lines, but as time goes by those that remember Aug. 17, 1959 disappear. Old Faithful Inn survived. The inn, a 76-foot-high log structure was built in 1904 - long before earthquake standards were established. “That was opened for the first time in decades,” said Quinn. It was the biggie.”. Hebgen Lake stretches for approximately 14 miles. “There were cracks everywhere,” he said. Lake Hebgen (shown) is the lake above the newly formed Quake Lake. Trapped inside, the man broke a window to climb out. “I’m assuming it was part of the noise from the mountain coming down,” said Cunningham.  |  Like ghosts these leafless trees stick out of Earthquake Lake sixty years after the lake was created by a giant landslide. Luckily it was nearly midnight, so no one was hurt.”. Prior to the 1960’s there were no significant attempts in measuring seismic activity in the Hebgen Lake area, however; this changed after the 1959 quake. By the time Union Pacific would make repairs, tourists were no longer arriving at West Yellowstone by train. But while Hebgen Lake miraculously remained, the earthquake left plenty of geographic scars. “Anything that we build now, we make sure that it is up to great standards for seismic activity.”. Yetter, who is now 87 years old, says he figured out a way to straddle the 12 to 20 foot cracks in the road with his car in order to get mail delivered to his neighbors for a week after the quake. “It was 60 years ago, we tend to forget too.”. It was very emotional, but it brought closure to her.”Under about 100 feet of water is the site of the old Rock Creek Campground. Hebgen Lake is an idyllic body of water, famous for its trout fishing. They feature photos taken by John Owen, who was 15 at the time of the quake. The next earthquake could do anything, including shut it off. Fearing the Hebgen Dam would burst after the quake, the owner of the resort where the Owen family was staying told his guests to flee to nearby high ground.“And before long there was just a stream of cars coming in,” Owen said.250 people made their way to what was later named Refuge Point.“Right about dawn, then Dad said, ‘Here take the camera, go take some pictures,’” Owen said.The massive landslide pushed a wave of air in front of it at 100 miles an hour. Before the quake those eruptions only lasted a minute and a half to two minutes. Quake Lake is 190 feet (58 m) deep and 6 miles (9.7 km) long. Interesting and informative video of the 1959 earthquake with interviews from witnesses and officials involved. Survivors recount when the 7.5 magnitude quake struck, The night the world shook: Remembering the 1959 Hebgen Lake Earthquake, The night the world shook - Part II: Waves and tremors at Hebgen Lake threaten dam, The night the world shook - III: '59 quake changed landscape, structures and more in Yellowstone, The night the world shook: Quake ended a way of life in West Yellowstone. “And before … Fearing the Hebgen Dam would burst after the quake, the owner of the resort where the Owen family was staying told his guests to flee to nearby high ground. It caused the water in the 12000 acre lake to slosh back and forth for almost half a day. The slide – the third blow in the chain of events that fateful night - also wiped out the state highway to the west, effectively trapping the hundreds of campers and locals in the area of devastation. The tourists simply went away. The family had driven up from Ogden, Utah, to spend part of summer 1959 in Yellowstone. “He put his wife in the car and headed toward town.”. Before the quake, eruption intervals were between 60 and 65 minutes. So, the man who led his family to safety, in time, became his stepfather. “A combination of the earthquake stopping it and the reduction in usage, they decided not to bring passengers in to West Yellowstone anymore,” said Clyde Seeley, owner of the Three Bears Lodge. The run-up of lake water on the shores drowned people who were sleeping in nearby cabins and huts. The Air Force sent rescue helicopters to take out the seriously injured while a highway construction crew working to the east jumped into action.“And so, by late on the 18th [of August], there was a road, more or less, where cars could drive out,” said Owen.Fifteen year old John Owen was living an adventure. A minute and a half to two minutes they were, however, deemed to be inactive and to no! 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