(Stand Up For Idaho Press Release, June 8, 2026)
Idaho Falls–Wednesday, June 17th – Nathaniel Gee
Failure of the Teton Dam – 50 years after the disaster
*This meeting will be at the Elks Lodge – 640 E Elva St, Idaho Falls
IN 1976, THE TETON DAM COLLAPSED, unleashing a wall of water that ravaged eastern Idaho and shattered the public’s trust in American infrastructure. Engineers, historians, and survivors have asked the same question: Why did it fail?
Nathaniel, a professional civil engineer with a Ph.D. from Brigham Young University specializing in dam safety, recently wrote a book about the incident. The book title is Failure and Fortitude: How Faith, Politics and Power Shaped the Teton Dam Disaster.
Failure and Fortitude is a meticulously researched, vividly written account of the Teton Dams rise and ruin. It reconstructs the hours that changed everything and the decisions behind the failure. The book also recounts the remarkable story of the communities who refused to be defined by devastation – neighbors who dug each other out, rebuilt from mud and memory, and proved that resilience can be as powerful as any flood.
“The dam was a huge impactful failure, and the bigger story is why it was built in the first place. There are some things within the organization and the politics behind it is the bigger story.”
Nathaniel lives in Tennessee and is the Manager of the Dam Safety Oversight and Governance Group for the Tennessee Valley Authority, and he will join us via zoom.
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about the Teton Dam disaster. The history of the dam needs to be understood before any attempt is made to build another one.
Attendance is free, although donations to support Stand Up For Idaho’s mission are greatly appreciated. We are an IRS 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and donations are tax deductible.
The Elks Lodge, 640 E Elva St., Idaho Falls.
6:30pm (Doors open at 6:00pm)
About Stand Up For Idaho: We are a nonpartisan, nondenominational, nonprofit organization striving to inform and educate the public on a wide range of topics that affect people’s lives. We advocate for the common good, well-being, and civic betterment for all Idahoans, and for the rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Idaho.
