Hauser Dam

[6][7] In his early 60s, Hauser began to rebuild his finances by branching out into the relatively new industry of hydroelectric power generation.

[14] Jackson's design had to overcome a significant engineering problem: bedrock lay out of reach under the riverbed, covered by a thick layer of gravel.

[13][14] A power company employee, spotting the problem, ran into the powerhouse and told everyone to flee for their lives.

[22] The remaining sections of the dam, anchored to bedrock, helped hold back some of the water for a time, reducing the destructiveness of the flood.

[23] The warnings and the geology of the Missouri River below Hauser Dam helped save numerous lives.

[21] Future motion picture actor Gary Cooper and his family, living at the Seven Bar Nine Ranch, were notified in time and evacuated before the floodwaters tore across a portion of their property.

[14] At first, the press reported that the town had been swept away,[21] but this proved inaccurate as only a few shacks and the railroad station were uprooted.

[21][23] At the end of the 20th century, pieces of the steel dam could still be found on the banks of the Missouri River.

Steel had many advantages: it was not only cheaper, but also lighter, more easily transported, and more watertight than traditional materials like concrete, timber, stone, or earth.

[26] United Missouri River Power began reconstruction of Hauser Dam in July 1908, completing it in the spring of 1911.

[27] The current Hauser Dam has four sections: An overflow spillway, abutments on either side of the overflow spillway, a non-spillover section east of the left abutment (below which is the powerhouse), and a 32-foot (9.8 m) deep forebay which impounds water behind the powerhouse.

[30] The lake 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.

The water impounded by Hauser Dam inundated the lower portion of Prickly Pear Creek, causing the formation of Lake Helena.

[30] Lake Helena is extremely shallow and develops dense amounts of aquatic vegetation, making it an important nesting, stopover, and feeding area for birds.

[30] The distance from Hauser Dam to Holter Reservoir, the next lake downstream, is 4.6 miles (7.4 km).

[39] The sale was expected to generate $30 million in taxes for the state of Montana (although MPC said the total would be lower).

[40] In November 2001, citizens of Montana upset with energy price increases announced by PPL sought passage of a ballot initiative that would require the state of Montana to buy all of PPL's hydroelectric dams, including Hauser Dam.

[43] The Montana Public Service Commission approved the deal in September 2014 and the two companies completed the $890 million purchase in November 2014.

Looking upstream at Hauser Dam after its catastrophic collapse on April 14, 1908
Looking downstream at the west end Hauser Dam after its catastrophic failure on April 14, 1908