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The park is home to the daunting Yellowstone caldera, a supervolcano named after its ability to inflict global devastation in the event of an eruption. Located below the states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, the area is constantly monitored by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) for signs that such an eruption is on the way. But the geologists were taken by surprise on the evening of August 17, 1959, during the Hebgen Lake earthquake that would inevitably create a new lake on the Madison River following a landslide.
The devastating 7.5 magnitude earthquake killed 28 people and caused damage of over £ 9 million (£ 200 or £ 266 million today).
Historian Larry Morris recalled the gripping minute-by-minute saga in his book “The 1959 Yellowstone Earthquake Disaster”.
Detailing an account, he wrote: “Air Force warrant officer Victor James said, ‘I heard a terrible rumbling and looked up.
“’I saw the whole mountain crumble. It was terrible.
“‘I saw a lot of fighting during World War II, but I never heard such a roar.’
According to the text, another survivor said: “The roar sounded like the end of the world.”
Mr. Morris went on to explain in detail how one of the visitors came within inches of death.
He added, “When camping in Montana’s Madison River Canyon, Irene and Purley (Pud) Bennett and their four children had settled down just hours earlier, watching a spectacular full moon as they fell asleep.
“Then Irene and Pud woke up with an ‘incredible rumble’.
“Pud shouted: ‘What’s going on?’ He got up but was caught in the whirlwind of wind, rocks and water.
READ MORE: Yellowstone Scientists’ Fears Unveiled When Earthquake Hits Region: “Unable to Stop Eruption”
“Then the landslide crashed into the Madison River, slapping the river from its bed and blasting 30-foot waves upstream and downstream.”
And the campers felt the full force of the waves.
When the Madison River was moved, a huge wall of muddy water and debris swept away their camp.
Mr. Morris added: “The Bennett family, camped on the downstream side of the avalanche, had been hit by one of those tsunamis.
“When she recovered, Irene was face down on the river bank, pinned under a pine that wouldn’t move, shivering from the cold and damp.
“His entire body was bruised and bleeding, his lips swollen.”
Fortunately, the Bennett family was rescued by rescuers who responded to the devastation.
Today, tourists to the area can stop by the Earthquake Lake Visitor Center, located 27 miles north of West Yellowstone to relive the horrors of more than half a century ago.
‘The 1959 Yellowstone Earthquake Disaster’ was published by The History Press in 2016 and is available for purchase here.
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