{"id":1069,"date":"2026-06-05T16:36:53","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T16:36:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=1069"},"modified":"2026-06-05T16:36:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T16:36:53","slug":"deseret-news-archives-devastation-below-teton-dam-could-have-been-much-worse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=1069","title":{"rendered":"Deseret News archives: Devastation below Teton Dam could have been much worse"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><i>Editor\u2019s note: This story was originally published on June 5, 2024.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>The year was 1976, and the United States was preparing for a bicentennial celebration across the country.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=1067\">Opinion: When the world feels wrong, how do you know what\u2019s right?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>But on June 5, 1976, the Teton Dam in southern Idaho failed, leaving a path of devastation in the flood that followed. The small Idaho cities of Teton, Newdale and Sugar City were virtually wiped out. A wall of water wound through the upper Snake River Valley before hitting Rexburg, and later Idaho Falls.<\/p>\n<p>According to archived Deseret News photos and stories, \u201cTragically, 11 people died along with 13,000 head of livestock. But with more than 100,000 people in the path of the water, it was something of a miracle that more lives weren\u2019t lost. Although Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Blackfoot, Idaho, suffered severe damage, the American Falls reservoir finally contained the flood, ending the disaster.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPerhaps the real story of the Teton Dam collapse was the remarkable relief efforts that supported the people and business owners whose homes and livelihoods were destroyed. Thousands of volunteers boarded buses in Utah, Idaho and Wyoming to help clean up the flooded areas. It was backbreaking work as they cleared away thousands of tons of contaminated mud and debris in the grueling summer heat. U.S. President Gerald R. Ford gave special praise to the volunteers when declaring the flood zone a disaster area.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Looking back at the first-person accounts and retrospective coverage, the very personal stories stand out.<\/p>\n<p>From colleague Lois M. Collins, who experienced the disaster alongside many family members:<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=1065\">Opinion: In a distracted world, presence matters<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut the thing many residents remember best is how the bursting dam brought communities up and down its path together.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2018The beauty of it all was what it did for people,\u2019\u201d Diana Richman says. \u201c\u2018In disaster, people do work so beautifully together. Everyone helped, took people in, furnished food to people.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here is a cross-section of archived work from Deseret News photographers and writers:<\/p>\n<p>\u201c40th anniversary of the collapse of the Teton Dam\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201c30 years after dam failure, Teton Basin still in limbo\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPain lingers 25 years after Teton Dam failure\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYears after failure, Teton Dam still sparks debate\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRebuilding Teton Dam and original site considered\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwila Van Leer: When Teton Dam flood took her genealogy\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFlood of memories: Teton disaster devastated many lives \u2014 but also brought people together\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=1063\">Celebrate National Doughnut Day with these sweet deals<\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>Related<\/div>\n<div>Deseret News timeline<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today in history: Tragedy in 1976 spawned memorable relief efforts, heartwarming stories of courage. This date in history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1068,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-utah"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Deseret News archives: Devastation below Teton Dam could have been much worse - American Movers Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=1069\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Deseret News archives: Devastation below Teton Dam could have been much worse - American Movers Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Today in history: Tragedy in 1976 spawned memorable relief efforts, heartwarming stories of courage. 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