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The Night the Mountain Fell The Story of the Montana-Yellowstone Earthquake
At 11:37 P. M. on Monday, August 17, 1959, one of the severest earthquakes recorded on the North American continent shook this area. It sent gigantic tidal waves surging down the 7-mile length of Hebgen Lake, throwing an enormous quantity of water over the top of Hebgen Dam, the way you can slosh water out of a dishpan, still keeping it upright. This water—described as a wall 20 ft. high—swept down the narrow Madison Canyon, full of campers and vacationers who were staying in dude ranches and at three Forest Service campgrounds along the seven-mile stretch from the dam to the point where the canyon opened up into rolling wheat and grazing land. Just about the time this surge of water reached the mouth of the canyon, half of a 7,600-ft.-high mountain came crashing down into the valley and cascaded, like water, up the opposite canyon wall, hurtling house-size quartzite and dolomite boulders onto the lower portion of Rock Creek Campground.
99 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 26, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 8, 2022
I had no idea this event had ever happened. Of course, I was exactly one month and one day away from turning one year old at the time, but still, you would think that over the years of school and study and very wide-range reading, I would have seen something about one of the strongest earthquakes ever in North America.
But when I noticed this book Project Gutenberg back in 2018 and was curious about the title, I had no idea it described an actual historic event. Before I opened the link I was kind of expecting some type of fantasy tale.
But this was a very real story about what happened on August 17, 1959.
A bit about the author, taken verbatim from the end of the book:
Ed Christopherson was a professional author and magazine writer whose articles about Montana, the Northwest, and other subjects appear in The Saturday Evening Post, Holiday, This Week Magazine, Mademoiselle, Reader’s Digest, The New York Times, Congressional Record, etc.
Born in Ohio, he began his writing career in New York. His introduction to the Mountain Northwest came through a season as a Forest Service Smokejumper. After several years in New York, he picked exciting and scenic Western Montana as the center of his regional writing activities.
Christopherson went to West Yellowstone (they called it “Shookville”) the day after the quake. He got first hand accounts from survivors there, and in Ennis, flew and walked over the slide and elsewhere in the quake area, and since has spent months researching and correlating what turned out to be “The Night The Mountain Fell.”
All of which means that the man understood the area and had the ability to write a fascinating bit of history about a night many people would never forget and others would never live through.
He includes pictures, drawings, and very clear scientific descriptions of what happened and why. It is a riveting account, and a reminder that the Yellowstone area is not just a pretty face. There are forces underground that most of us know nothing about.
I have visited Yellowstone as a grumpy teenager on a family vacation. I paid no attention to the educational aspects, so I missed a chance to broaden my mind a bit that time. I won't say I have now joined Mom in her "Someday There Will Be An End Of The World Event At Yellowstone" belief (she says either a major earthquake or humongous volcano or both at the same time) but I have certainly been reminded that the area is alive and there are all sorts of things lurking under the surface of all those mudpots and geysers.
But when I noticed this book Project Gutenberg back in 2018 and was curious about the title, I had no idea it described an actual historic event. Before I opened the link I was kind of expecting some type of fantasy tale.
But this was a very real story about what happened on August 17, 1959.
A bit about the author, taken verbatim from the end of the book:
Ed Christopherson was a professional author and magazine writer whose articles about Montana, the Northwest, and other subjects appear in The Saturday Evening Post, Holiday, This Week Magazine, Mademoiselle, Reader’s Digest, The New York Times, Congressional Record, etc.
Born in Ohio, he began his writing career in New York. His introduction to the Mountain Northwest came through a season as a Forest Service Smokejumper. After several years in New York, he picked exciting and scenic Western Montana as the center of his regional writing activities.
Christopherson went to West Yellowstone (they called it “Shookville”) the day after the quake. He got first hand accounts from survivors there, and in Ennis, flew and walked over the slide and elsewhere in the quake area, and since has spent months researching and correlating what turned out to be “The Night The Mountain Fell.”
All of which means that the man understood the area and had the ability to write a fascinating bit of history about a night many people would never forget and others would never live through.
He includes pictures, drawings, and very clear scientific descriptions of what happened and why. It is a riveting account, and a reminder that the Yellowstone area is not just a pretty face. There are forces underground that most of us know nothing about.
I have visited Yellowstone as a grumpy teenager on a family vacation. I paid no attention to the educational aspects, so I missed a chance to broaden my mind a bit that time. I won't say I have now joined Mom in her "Someday There Will Be An End Of The World Event At Yellowstone" belief (she says either a major earthquake or humongous volcano or both at the same time) but I have certainly been reminded that the area is alive and there are all sorts of things lurking under the surface of all those mudpots and geysers.
February 7, 2026
“But as a result of the quake we know that any area which has this kind of emergency will make it ok with the wonderful spirit of people, helping and wanting to help.” (pg 71)
This was a small book but interesting read. We have driven by here countless times so it was interesting to read the full story of what happened during the earthquake. Very factual, informative style- no emotion really behind the stories- that’s not a bad thing just mentioning so you will know. It was inspiring to read about the many people that stepped up and did all they could to help and save countless lives.
This was a small book but interesting read. We have driven by here countless times so it was interesting to read the full story of what happened during the earthquake. Very factual, informative style- no emotion really behind the stories- that’s not a bad thing just mentioning so you will know. It was inspiring to read about the many people that stepped up and did all they could to help and save countless lives.
February 16, 2023
Quick read. Very interesting. Been there several times and it's always left me feeling small and in awe. Glad I found this book to really bring it to life.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews