Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
1959 Yellowstone Earthquake slides, 1959
Overview of the Collection
- Title
- 1959 Yellowstone Earthquake slides
- Dates
- 195919591959
- Quantity
- 2 folder, (2 folders (71 slides) )
- Collection Number
- 2736
- Summary
- This set of photographic color slides was taken shortly after the earthquake of August 17, 1959, near Hebgen Lake, Montana. The slides, taken by an unknown photographer, document damaged buildings in and around Blarneystone Ranch, and a damaged chimney at Old Faithful Inn, located to the southeast in Yellowstone National Park. The slides also document fissures in the earth and the damage to roads and the surrounding land.
- Repository
-
Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections
Montana State University-Bozeman Library
Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT
59717-3320
Telephone: 4069944242
Fax: 4069942851
- Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
This set of photographic color slides was taken shortly after the earthquake of August 17, 1959, near Hebgen Lake, Montana. The 7.3 magnitude Hebgen Lake Earthquake triggered a landslide from a mountain in nearby Madison Canyon, creating a dam across the Madison River and forming Earthquake Lake ("Quake Lake"). The effects of the earthquake and the landslide resulted in the deaths of 28 people.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Color slides taken of the damage resulting from the 1959 Yellowstone Earthquake, which formed Earthquake Lake ("Quake Lake") below the Hebgen Dam on the Madison River, Montana. Images document damage to roads and structures close to the landslide that formed Quake Lake, while some images are of more distant locations, including Old Faithful Lodge in Yellowstone National Park. Details of fissures, the landslide itself, and the effects on Hebgen Dam and the Madison River are also included. Some of the slides were taken at or near Blarneystone Ranch near Hebgen Lake, showing damaged buildings from the ranch and a nearby 10-unit tourist motel, which dropped 8-10 feet with the shifting earth during the earthquake. Some of the slides contain short annotations scrawled on their frames. No information has been found to clearly identify the photographer(s) of these slides. However, it is possible that these slides were taken by Irving J. Witkind or Jack Epstein, two U.S. Geological Survey scientists who happened to be camped near Blarneystone Ranch on the night of the earthquake.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Preferred Citation
[Creator Name], [Date of Creation], [Brief Description of Object], Folder [#], Box [#], [Collection Name], [Collection #], Montana State University (MSU) Library, Bozeman, MT.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | |
| 1 | 1 | #1-31 |
| 1 | 2 | #32-71 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Earthquakes
Geographical Names
- Yellowstone National Park
Form or Genre Terms
- Photographs
