JACKSON, Wyo. — To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1925 Gros Ventre landslide, Teton County Emergency Management and partners have created four new markers and an interactive StoryMap to share the history of one of Wyoming’s most significant natural disasters.
The 1925 landslide off of Sheep Mountain created a massive dam on the Gros Ventre River, forming Lower Slide Lake. Two years later, in 1927, the dam failed — flooding the town of Kelly, killing six people and destroying 75 buildings.
“Commemorating the 100th anniversary is about more than looking back — it’s about honoring the people who lived through it and recognizing how disasters can forever shape our communities,” Teton County Emergency Manager Rich Ochs said via press release.
The four interpretive signs are located at the Kelly Post Office, the Gros Ventre Pathway Bridge, the Wilson Boat Ramp and Owen Bircher Park. The signs share survivor accounts, historical images and the broader story of how the flood impacted Jackson Hole and communities downstream, per the county. An accompanying geospatial StoryMap, titled “A Town Transformed: The Story of the Kelly Flood,” combines maps, photos and documents to bring the story to life.
Emergency Management noted that the StoryMap honors how past disasters have shaped the region, and that the Teton WY Weather and Hazards web app helps residents and visitors to stay informed and prepared in the present day. The web app is a real-time, interactive tool that provides information on current conditions across Teton County, including state highway road conditions, wildfire activity, drought status, river levels, weather alerts, earthquake reports, air quality, power outages and live highway webcam feeds. Use these links to access the StoryMap and the Weather and Hazards app.
“These stories remind us why preparedness matters — and why resilience starts with knowing our past,” Ochs said.
