6.5.2026 - INTERVIEWS: Nathaniel K Gee, Jay Calderwood

Send us Fan MailOn the 50th anniversary of the Teton Dam disaster, we spent the hour walking back through the *whole* story with Dr. Nathaniel Gee—dam safety engineer and author of *Failure and Fortitude*—starting with why the dam got built in the first place. We talked about the very human mix of ambition and pressure that pushed Teton forward: a political era where every district wanted a dam, elections that turned on local LDS culture as much as policy, and the hard truth that even after authorization, funding could be used as leverage. Nathaniel connects dots most of us only hear in pieces—local oral histories, Washington power plays, and the technical decisions inside the Bureau of Reclamation that set the stage for a project built on notoriously bad geology.From there we got into what went wrong technically (and why): fractured rock, massive grouting surprises, cost and environmental pressures, and a “new” key trench approach that left the core unprotected by proper filtering—basically letting water move material, not just seep. We also talked about what happened when the dam failed on June 5, 1976: the heartbreaking first fatality story, the near-impossible evacuation success that kept the death toll to 11, and what community looked like when 25,000 people needed help immediately—neighbors, churches, and radio becoming the backbone of recovery. We also heard directly from Jay Calderwood, who was on a bulldozer on top of the dam as it gave way—an eyewitness account that still stops you in your tracks. We closed with the question a lot of East Idaho keeps circling back to: could Teton be rebuilt? Engineering-wise, yes—but it wouldn’t be cheap, and the real debate is whether the benefits justify the cost.---### Highlights- How political strategy, appropriations power, and LDS cultural dynamics helped push the dam from idea to reality  - The engineering turning point: fractured foundation, unexpected grout needs, and a key trench design without proper filter protection  - Why only 11 lives were lost despite catastrophic flooding—and what that says about warnings, timing, and community response  - Jay Calderwood’s firsthand story escaping the collapsing dam while backing a dozer away from the break  - The rebuild question: a safe dam is possible, but the geology makes “cheap” impossible—so it becomes a benefit/cost fightLet’s talk advertising. When you want to advertise on the radio, you call the station, right? But what about Facebook, Instagram, Hulu, Disney+, Peacock, and other streaming platforms?You could try clicking around, reading books, or taking online courses to figure it out—or you can let us handle it. At Sandhill Media Group, we’re your local experts in both radio and digital marketing.Visit SandhillMediaGroup.com today.<a href="https://www.sandhillmediagrou