The 1959 Earthquake

On August 17, 1959, at 11:37 P.M., this spectacularly scenic section of Montana became the focus of world-wide attention and made modern history. A heavy shock smashed the soft summer night, earth and rock buckled, lifted and dropped. In several mighty heaves Mother Earth reshaped her mountains in violent response to an agony of deep-seated tensions no longer bearable. A mountain moved, a new lake was formed, another lake was fantastically tilted, sections of highway were dropped into a lake, the earth’s surface was ripped by miles of faults, and 28 persons were missing or dead. The area is now safe and much of it has been preserved and marked by the Forest Service for all to see. The Madison River Canyon Earthquake area, located a few miles northwest of here, is an awesome testimonial to Nature’s might.