The Gros Ventre Slide
Posted by: 
Volcanoguy
N 43° 38.039 W 110° 32.847
12T E 536505 N 4831320
Group of three signs about the Gros Ventre Slide. Signs are located at the Gros Vetre Slide viewpoint.
Waymark Code: WME41R
Location: Wyoming, United States
Date Posted: 03/31/2012
Views: 8
The Gros Ventre Slide
Before you lie the remnants of one of the largest earth movements in the world.
On June 23, 1925, earth, rock and debris moved rapidly from an altitude of 9000 feet, across the valley bottom and up the slope of the Red Bluffs behind you. The action lasted only minutes but a river was dammed and the landscape changed.
A River Dammed
The Gros Ventre slide may have been started by heavy, prolonged rainfall. Some 50 million cubic yards of sandstone, limestone, shale and rock, about one mile long, 2000 feet wide and several hundred feet deep in places. Plunged down and across the Gros Ventre River. A lake was created above the dam.
For almost two years this earth dam held; then on May 18, 1927, part of the dam gave way and a wall of water, mud, and rock flowed down the canyon destroying valuable property. Ranch lands were ruined by mud and rubble and the town of Kelly, three and one-half miles downstream, was practically wiped out, six persons drowned.
An Unusual Area
The path of the slide can be seen. Young trees carried down from higher elevations still live in spite of the change of location. Engelmann Spruce and quaking aspen produced rings of different thickness in their growth layers indicating the time of the landslide and their relocation.
New trees have grown on the landslide and many colorful plants may be seen at certain times of the year. The slide area is the habitat of mice, chipmunks, conies, marmots and beaver.
An interpretive trail has been developed to help you understand this unusual area.
Marker Name: The Gros Ventre Slide
Marker Type: Rural Roadside
Group Responsible for Placement: Teton National Forest
Addtional Information: Not listed
Date Dedicated: Not listed
Marker Number: Not listed
Web link(s) for additional information: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Please post a photo of you OR your GPS at the marker location. Also if you know of any additional links not already mentioned about this bit of Wyoming history please include that in your log.