# The Teton Dam disaster was connected to more history than you ever imagined

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/it-s-worth-mentioning-7588143/the-teton-dam-disaster-was-connected-to-more-history-than-you-ever-imagined
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/it-s-worth-mentioning-7588143/the-teton-dam-disaster-was-connected-to-more-history-than-you-ever-imagined.md
Podcast: [It's Worth Mentioning](https://stenobird.com/podcast/it-s-worth-mentioning-7588143)
Published: 2026-08-17T12:00:04+00:00
Episode link: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-teton-dam-disaster-was-connected-to-more-history-than-you-ever-imagined--74099679
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74099679/iwm_teton_dam_connections.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/it-s-worth-mentioning-7588143/episodes/the-teton-dam-disaster-was-connected-to-more-history-than-you-ever-imagined
Duration seconds: 2401

## Resource

Fifty years after the collapse of the Teton Dam, a new book shows how this iconic moment in eastern Idaho is connected to other historic events. Nathaniel Gee, author of “Faith and Fortitude: How Faith, Politics and Power Shaped the Teton Dam Disaster,” returns to the podcast for a fascinating discussion. RELATED | Remembering the Teton Dam collapse: Inside the failure and fight to rebuild In this episode of “It’s Worth Mentioning,” Gee kicks off the conversation by discussing the timing of the disaster. Just before noon on June 5, 1976, the dam failed, releasing 80 billion gallons of water into eastern Idaho. Communities from Rexburg to Blackfoot were impacted; 11 people were killed, along with 13,000 head of livestock. Many were made homeless by the disaster, and tens of thousands of acres of land were destroyed or heavily damaged. The estimated cost of the damage was around $2 billion — around $11 billion in today’s dollars. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation — which built the dam — spent the next 11 years compensating those who were affected. The total amount was around $400 million — less than the estimated cost. Gee says that if the flood had happened 24 hours earlier, he wouldn’t have been here to write the book. He weaves a tale that begins with the settlement of the West, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pioneers’ migration to the Salt Lake Valley. In those early days, the church practiced polygamy, which Gee says has a connection to the construction of the Teton Dam. On Sept. 11, 1857, dozens of church members took part in the massacre of 120 immigrants in southern Utah traveling by wagon train, according to the church’s website . The incident — which is also tied to the Teton Dam — took place in a valley called Mountain Meadows and is kn…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/it-s-worth-mentioning-7588143/episodes/the-teton-dam-disaster-was-connected-to-more-history-than-you-ever-imagined/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/it-s-worth-mentioning-7588143/the-teton-dam-disaster-was-connected-to-more-history-than-you-ever-imagined.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.