Teton Dam

The Teton Dam was a federally built earthen dam in Idaho in the United States, put up by the Bureau of Reclamation, one of eight federal agencies authorized to construct dams. Located on the Teton River in the eastern part of the state between Fremont and Madison counties, it suffered a catastrophic failure on June 5, 1976, when it was being filled for the first time. The collapse of the dam resulted in the deaths of 11 people and 13,000 head of cattle. The dam cost about $100 million to build, and the federal government paid over $300 million in claims related to its failure. Total damage estimates have ranged up to $2 billion. The dam has not been rebuilt.