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Forest Service Hebgen Lake Earthquake Sign 1960s

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:50.00 USD Estimated At:150.00 - 300.00 USD
Forest Service Hebgen Lake Earthquake Sign 1960s
For your consideration is this 1960s United States Forest Service from the Quake Lake (Hebgen Lake) Montana area. This sign would have been placed near a large, white dolomite rock that had been carried by the landslide across the canyon, after the Hebgen Lake Earthquake on August 17th, 1959. The earthquake had an official magnitude of 7.3 and occurred near Yellowstone National Park's western boundary, approximately 6.5 miles WNW of West Yellowstone, Montana. The earthquake took the lives of 28 people, the majority of them passed as a result of a huge landslide that sparked in Madison Canyon. The landslide dumped over 50 million cubic yards of rock, mud, and debris on the canyon's south and north sides, partially burying the Rock Creek campground on the valley floor. The landslide also obstructed the Madison River, forcing water to accumulate behind it, forming Earthquake Lake. The wood sign is in two sections, a top and bottom half and reads, "The White Dolomite Rock Here Was Carried Across The Canyon When The Slide Occurred. Note The Exposed Dolomite Ledges In The Slide Scar". The letters were once painted with white paint but has since chipped and worn off. The top left and top right hand corners show the United States Forest Service logo. The sign shows fair condition overall with wear present from its age and use outdoors. It measures 17 1/4" L x 39 5/8" W x 1 1/2" D and weighs 14 pounds and 14 ounces.