The Night's Peace Was Shattered

The Night's Peace Was Shattered (HM258A)

Location: West Yellowstone, MT 59758 Gallatin County
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Country: United States of America
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N 44° 48.239', W 111° 11.287'

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It began as an idyllic August night. A full moon soared quietly over Yellowstone country. Along Hebgen Lake and the Madison River, campgrounds and vacation cabins were full to capacity, and scores of families were camped by the roadside.


Waking up to a Changed World

Just a few minutes before midnight, the night's peace was shattered as the earth began to jolt violently. Shaken awake, people began to emerge from tents, cars and cabins all along the Madison River and Hebgen Lake to find trees thrashing, dust clouds rising, and the night in chaos. It was only the beginning of an ordeal that none would forget.

This magnitude 7.5 earthquake is the largest earthquake recorded in the Rocky Mountains. It affected hundreds of lives: 28 people were killed, over 250 were trapped in Madison Canyon, and hundreds more lost loved ones or friends, or saw their homes and businesses damaged.

(captions)

August 17, 1959 11:37pm
Earthquake strikes and fault scarps form.

Minutes later
Hebgen Lake begins to slosh back and forth. Waves overtop the dam and damage lakeside buildings. Destabilized shorelines slide into the lake taking parts of Highway 287.

Minutes later
An 80-million-ton landslide blocks the Madison River and cuts off the exit road for campers.

August 18, Midnight to Dawn
Earthquake Lake, rises rapidly, swallows campsites, as aftershocks continue. People scramble for safety, rescue the stranded, and tend to the injured. Fearing that Hebgen Dam will break, many head for high ground.

Dawn to Noon
Helicopters and planes scan the wreckage and report on the damage.

Just before Noon
Forest Service Smokejumpers parachute in to assist the trapped campers and prepare an evacuation.

Noon to 3:00pm
The most gravely injured are evacuated.

Dusk
The remaining refugees begin to leave the area on an emergency bypass road along Hebgen Lake, while rescue workers continue to search the campsites in the canyon.
Details
HM NumberHM258A
Tags
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Sunday, February 4th, 2018 at 1:01am PST -08:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)12T E 485123 N 4961193
Decimal Degrees44.80398333, -111.18811667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 44° 48.239', W 111° 11.287'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds44° 48' 14.34" N, 111° 11' 17.22" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)406
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling West
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 18131 Hebgen Lake Rd, West Yellowstone MT 59758, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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