Failure of Hauser Dam

Date: April 14, 1908 • Location: Helena Valley Northeast, United States

The first Hauser Dam in the U.S. state of Montana failed, causing severe flooding and damage downstream.

Hauser Dam is a hydroelectric straight gravity dam on the Missouri River about 14 miles (23 km) northeast of Helena, Montana, in the United States. The original dam, made out of an innovative material, steel, was built between 1905 and 1907 but failed in 1908 and caused severe flooding and damage downstream. A second dam was built on the site in 1908 and opened in 1911 and comprises the present structure. The current Hauser Dam is 700 feet (210 m) long and 80 feet (24 m) high. The reservoir formed by the dam, Hauser Lake, is 25 miles (40 km) long, has a surface area of 3,800 acres (1,500 ha), and has a storage capacity of 98,000 acre-feet (121,000,000 m3) of water when full.