Livingston Montana remembers the earthquake of '59

Livingston Montana remembers the earthquake of '59 Livingston residents remember the August 7.4 quake....

08/20/2025

from Jack Fleming '68: I was 9 years old and sound asleep when my shaking bed woke me up. I looked over at my brother who “appeared” to be sound asleep. I mumbled for him to stop shaking my bed. No response but I knew he was faking sleep. I fell back to sleep and it happened again. I then decided to stay awake and catch him in the act. The bed shook again and he didn’t move. Oh my God we have a ghost. Dad was out of town so I woke my brother and then tried to wake my mother(very heavy sleeper) and she told us to tell our Dad in the morning. Did I mention that he was out of town? We looked outside and there were the Quicks, the Jones’ and the other neighbors so we went out and joined the quake party

08/18/2025

from Jeff Bragg '79: I was not born yet when this happened. However, My dad (John Bragg), flew Park County Sherrif, Albert Nicholson over the quake area so he could photograph damage and look for survivors/stranded campers. He and his plane were the first airplane over the area. Pictures the Sheriff took were posted in Life magazine or Time Magazine don't recall which?

08/18/2025

from David Fink '63: As for the night of the August 17, 1959 earthquake, I have 2 memories. The first was at the carnival just south of Livingston a block of two when I was on the feris wheel which stopped to unload passengers while I was at the top of the ferris wheel. At that moment the air became unusually still and calm which seemed strange to me like an omen. That was at about 10:30 or 11;00. After returning home and while asleep in bed much later, Wayne and I shared a bunk-bed which began to shake rattle and roll. After a few brief momments of bed movement, I at the bottom bed got up to complain to Wayne to calm down. He was fast asleep. That was upstairs when I went down stairs to greet mom comming back inside from outside as she was concerned that the house furnace was blowing up. I was 13 at the time. Lived happily thereafter. Maybe?

08/17/2025

Bruce Gerlach '64 " My older brother Bill and I were living in Racine Wi. I was 12. Our mother’s side of the family (Skaarland) was from Big Timber and her two brothers Elmer & Kenny and their families were living in Livingston and working for the NP. Some members of those families, I think that included June Skaarland were visiting us in Racine. After the quake hit they were very worried on how everyone was doing. How safe were those folks that we had heard had been camping in the upper Madison area. Turned out everyone was OK from our family. The significance of Aug 17 from our point of view: my father, John William “Bill” Gerlach had a life ending heart attack on August 19. He was 43. I was 12. Our life was turned upside down. After the funeral services, etc , my mother moved my brother Bill and me to be with her side of the family, The Skaarland’s. That’s how we got to Livingston. My brother was the class of ‘63 and I was the class of ‘64. I have not forgotten what happened and the chain of events that occurred after Aug 17 th"

08/17/2025

Marlene Lund Vining '70 " Kathy Olson’s parents took me to Yellowstone during that time to distract me from being around all the stress of my dad’s illness because it was nearing the end for him. Mary kept in touch with my sisters each day to see how things were progressing & the day before the quake we came back because they didn’t expect my dad to make it through the night. He passed away the evening of Aug 16th. The Olson’s with me were camping in cabins at Hebgen Lake. It’s almost eerie that my dad’s time of passing saved me & the Olsons from dying in those cabins.
I remember the night of the quake I was at my cousins house & my sisters were with my mom. My mom was so upset worrying that my dad in the casket was going to tip over on the pedestal at Cloyds funeral home on Main & Clark. It didn’t....."

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