[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.