September 2021 – Page 3 – Welcome to Our World

Today was another day outside the park. So we decided to go to Virginia city. Historic Moment: Virginia City and Nevada City lie along Alder Gulch about one mile apart, and is the site of the richest gold strike in the Rocky Mountains, with an estimated total value of 100 million dollars. Virginia City was designated as the new territorial capital of Montana in 1865 when Alder Gulch had gathered most of Montana’s population. The city has been declared a national landmark. You can ride a train, shop, pan for gold and visit the courthouse (I don’t think we were actually supposed to go in the courthouse – it is still a working building.)

But let’s talk about the real claim to fame? Does anyone remember what TV show was associated with Virginia City? Most of you are probably too young?

Debbie took a lot of flack because she thought Virginia City was in Virginia. Remember the burning map? Remember the Cartwrights? Remember Little Joe before he went to the little Prairie? Surely you can guess the TV show now.

Travel Tip of the Day: Don’t go to Virginia City on Tuesdays. W Most of the stores are closed. So we went in search of a new activity.

We found our new activity at the Bear and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone. The bears are rescued when the other option is to be euthanized. Most bears are there because they discovered it is easy to get food from humans. The bears take turns coming out into a large area to find food and play. Before the bears come out, food is hidden from them by the staff or visiting kids. At a scheduled time, the bears come out and hunt for the food. Ravens follow the bears and try to steal their food. The ravens aren’t very nice and try to follow around the people hiding the food to get it before the bears come out.

Debbie’s favorite bear was Bo. He had been caught and released 4 times for visiting campsites for food. The final straw was when Bo was found sleeping on the hood of a car that had people trying to sleep inside the car. (Bet that was an exciting night).

Most frequent question asked by visitors. Why don’t the bears eat the ravens? Answer: The bears are too lazy.

We also saw a bear spray demonstration. Larry and Jerry had questions. Debbie does not feel confident but was glad to read that bears are curious about the bells and investigate. Debbie keeps telling Joyce that the bears will come and take Joyce’s bells.

Today was a visit to Quake Lake. It is a sad story. None of us were aware of the earthquake that happened in 1959. Quake (officially Earthquake Lake) is a lake in southwestern Montana. It was created from an earthquake on August 17, 1959, right before midnight killing 28 people. Quake Lake is 190 feet deep and 6 miles long.

The earthquake measured 7.5 and caused an 80-million ton landslide. This landslide created a dam on the Madison River. The landslide traveled down Sheep Mountain, at an estimated 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), killing 28 people who were camping along the shores of Hebgen Lake and downstream along the Madison River.

Upstream the earthquake forced the waters of Hebgen Lake to shift violently. The lake dropped by 20 ft. There was a threat that water would overflow the dam backwards. An overflow spillway was quickly created to handle the additional water and flooding in the next few days. Several geysers in the northwestern sections in Yellowstone National Park erupted and numerous hot springs became temporarily muddied.

Within the immediate vicinity of the earthquake and resultant landslide, a few dozen cabins and homes were destroyed. Some cabins floated away with people jumping to the shore. It generated hurricane force winds causing more havoc. The landslide crushed some of the cabins. The highway dropped several feet.

The park is free and was tastefully done. It told the story well. The ruins from the cabins were still on the lake side. It was a sobering experience to think of what happened.

Month: September 2021

2021-08-31 Virginia City

2021-08-30 Quake Lake