The Teton Dam Disaster

Images of America: Idaho

by Dylan J. McDonald

While cameras rolled, the newly completed Teton Dam collapsed shortly before noon on June 5, 1976. The resulting wall of water, 80 billion gallons strong, battered town after town during its three-day rampage through the Upper Snake River Valley in eastern Idaho. Impounding the flood-prone Teton River, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation dam failed during the reservoir's initial fill, ripping homes from foundations, drowning thousands of livestock, and stripping acres of valuable topsoil. Amazingly only 11 lives were lost during the disaster, as most residents heeded the flood warnings. Presenting photographs from local newspapers, archives, museums, historical societies, and witnesses, this book documents the dam's spectacular failure, the tremendous damage, and the Herculean cleanup and rebuilding process following one of the worst engineering disasters of the last 50 years. Today the investigation into why the 305-foot-tall earth-fill dam crumbled-ironically a dam built for flood control-still prompts debate.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published November 29, 2006

Reviews

[CHRISTINA PARKER · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading this because of a personal recommendation, and then was surprised to discover how engaging it really is. The story is told in the form of photos and captions, a format that helped me visualize the construction and subsequent collapse of the dam. I truly felt the horror of the dam slowly breaking up and endangering the populations of the villages and farms that lay downstream. This kind of disaster is barely imaginable to me, yet the reality of it was made clear by the photos and descriptions provided. A very effective presentation.

[NoraDawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't the kind of book I usually read, but I have a personal relationship with the author, so I gave it a try. I was surprised to find myself very interested in the "story", starting with chapter 2. (Chapter 1 was largely about the technicalities of building the dam, which, although necessary, wasn't an attention-grabber for me personally.) It was interesting to read this book while going through a current world-wide disaster. It made me grateful that the pandemic doesn't create the same type of life inconveniences as a dam breaking. If I could change anything, it would be for clearer pictures of what was going on, particularly during the process of the dam breaking. I couldn't really make sense of what was going on, despite the apt accompanying descriptions. I have a feeling that when I'm having a bad day in the future, I'll harken back to this book, and think, "At least a dam didn't break and dump water on my city today."

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very special blessing dress for my niece led me to this book. My sister-in-law's family survived the Teton Dam Disaster while they lived in Rexburg, Idaho. All of their belongings were covered in mud. What they could reclaim they did, and relocated to another city. A loving mother carefully restored the dress my SIL was blessed in and all these years later, my niece, my SIL's daughter, was blessed in the dress that was salvaged from this tragedy. It was touching.

The book is interesting and could lead a researcher with the time and interest into another book as to the reasons this happened. Apparantly, very little has been publicly written about this disaster during the summer of 1976.

This book is a narrative accompanied mainly by photos of the construction and destruction of the dam, plus the damage done to the flooded areas.

Interesting book. I'm glad I was led to learn more about it.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, fun fact: apparently I helped with the research of this book. I was reading the acknowledgements and was surprised to find my name. I honestly don't remember assisting anybody with a project such as this, but it has been 10 years and several research projects ago (when you work at a library, you tend to help out with many of these). Anyway, I thought it was pretty interesting. I've heard about the flood (it happened before I was born), I've seen the dam site several times, and I was also on the Teton Dam Flood Museum board in Rexburg, but seeing these pictures provided gaps in my knowledge. I think color pictures would have been better - there were several pictures of things that would have been easier to see with some color, like aerial shots. I know BYU-Idaho has many of these pictures, so one day I'll probably go see the originals.

[Ralph Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A facinating read. Lots of pictures and informative text. Have wanted to know more about the Teton dam break since reading CADILLAC DESERT.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must be into disasters right now. I should stop. Great pictures of the flood.