The Story of the 1959 Hebgen Lake Disaster REVIEW: On August 17, 1959 near midnight, an earthquake occurred just west of Yellowstone Park. The quake measured 7.6 on the Richter Scale. It caused a landslide into the Madison River canyon and threatened the integrity of Hebgen Lake dam. 28 people died, most of them campers. The video uses 1959 newsreel footage and interviews with people involved. There is a brief description of the geological reasons for the quake – the Yellowstone hot spot, the intermountain earthquake belt where two plates are moving apart, seismogram records. The picture and sound quality are poor, as are the production values, which is surprising given that the video was produced in 1997. Not recommended. Reviewed by: R. Galkiewicz, 20 April 2013