TETON ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM. Ricks College Idaho State Historical Society History Department, Utah State University. TETON DAM DISASTER

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1 I 1 I , TETON ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM Ricks College Idaho State Historical Society History Department, Utah State University. TETON DAM DISASTER Fremont Fullmer and Golda Fullmer Interviewed by Rhea Schroeder March 8, 1978 Project made possible by funds from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Idaho State Legislature through the Idaho State Historical Society and National Endowment for the Humanities ""... rz, *-4,'"7"',7"'"'":7"-Z.-1.`

2 UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY & RICKS COLLEGE HISTORY DEPARTMENTS COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT THROUGH LOCAL HISTORY ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM INTERVIEWER AGREEMENT In view of the historical and scholarly value of this information contained in the interview with Go i-0 i, FT-e 440 Al T- fia 1 in el, (name, please print) (interviewer, print) knowingly and voluntarily permit the Milton R. Merrill Library at Utah State University, the David 0. McKay Library at Ricks College, and the Idaho State Historical Society at Boise, Idaho, the full rights and use of this information. --e-c frt-- "- Interviewer 'a Signature 3,4/7T Date 10,07111

3 UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY & RICKS COLLEGE HISTORY DEPARTMENTS COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT THROUGH LOCAL HISTORY ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM INTERVIEWEE AGRFEMENT You have been interviewed in connection with a joint oral history program of the History Department, Utah State University, Ricks College, and the Idaho State Historical Society. The purpose of this oral history program is to gather and preserve information for historical and scholarly use. A tape recording of your interview has been made by the interviewer. A verbatim typescript of the tape will be made and a final typed and edited transcripts, together with the tape will be made and a final will then be filed in the Milton R. Merrill Library Special Collections, David 0. McKay Library at Ricks College, and the Idaho State Historical Society in Boise. This material will be made available according to each of the depositories' policies for research be scholars and by others for scholarly purposes. When the final transcript is completed, a personal copy will.be sent to you. * * * * * In view_of the historical and scholarly value of this infor- mation, I, G:CLc-lz,, do hereby assign full (please print full name) and all rights of this material to the Merrill Library at Utah State University, to the Library at Ricks College, and to the Idaho State Historical Society at Boise, Idaho, for scholarly purposes according to each of the institutions governing policies. 0 LI Interviewee's Signature Date

4 1 I I I ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEWEE: Fremont and Golda Fullmer INTERVIEWER: Rhea Schroeder DATE: March 8, 1978 TETON DAM DISASTER What is your name? Fremont Fullmer Spell it. Fremont Fullmer. How old are you? Eighty years and eleven months. Do you have a family? Yes. How many were living at your home at the time of the flood? Just I and my wife. What was your address at the time of the flood? Rexburg, Route 2. And what is your present address? The same. What do you do for a living? I am retired. How long have you lived in this area? Fifty years. Did you own your own home before the flood? Yes. Did you support or oppose the ccnstruction of the Teton Dam? I was indifferent towards it. Did you or any member of your family have a premonition of the Teton Disaster?

5 1 I , I FULLMER -2- No. Where were you and your family when the Teton Dam broke? In Rexburg. What was your first reaction when you heard that the dam had failed? I could hardly believe it. Did you try to save any househould or personal belongings? No, we was concerned about a couple of our grandchildren. Did you see the flood coming? No, not until we got up to the college. When you heard that the Teton Dam had failed, what preparations to save your property or business did you undertake? None. In vacating the area where you live, tell what happened to you and your family. After we located the grandchildren, we went up to the college and we stayed there. Did you have any unusual or miraculous experiences connected with the flood? No. Did you see animals trying to escape the flood waters? Just one cow we saw in the river. In the street? In the street, yes. Where did you and your family stay during the first two or three days after the flood? We stayed in one of the houses at the college. Did you continue to stay there during the cleanup. Yes, 1,7, couldn't get in our place for three weeks. How soon after the flood were you able to return to your property? In about three weeks.

6 FULLMER -3- How did you get there and what was your first reaction when you viewed the destruction of your property? Oh, it was just a let down feeling. There was nothing left. What was the damage you suffered as a result of the flood? We lost everything. What was the most cherished item you lost in the flood? Well, it was our home and everything in it. What did you think about it and how did you feel as you watched the flood waters roll through the area? Well, it was the most frustrating thing. It was something that you can't hardly describe because'we were left with nothing but our bare hands to start rebuilding and we had nothing to do. There was no tools or anything left. How did you go about cleaning up your property? Well, we just went to work and shoveled it up. Shoveled the mud and stuff out as soon as we could get in. What were some of the problems with which you were confronted? Problems that gave you the most frustration. Well, the most frustration was not being able to contact people and get around over the road. The roads were all washed out. Did you receive any help in cleaning up your property? Yes, we received a lot of help. Have you had any uplifting or unusual experiences during cleanup operation? No everything was just a lot of hard work. Did you personally suffer any vandalism or other forms of lawlessness? No, I think not. What kind of government aid did you receive immediately after the flood? Well, the Red Cross, it was a government organization, but the:y were the only government agencies that helped.

7 1 I İ 1 I 1 I I 1 FULLMER -4- Did you receive any assistance from Latter-day Saints or other groups immediately after the flood? Latter-day Saints, yes we had a lot of help from them. We had clothes and food and a place to stay. Did you receive any assistance from the Red Cross or from any other private or independent organization? Yes, there was a lot of help from the hed Cross. What government agencied did you deal with during recovery operations? The SBA. Did you have any dealings with county and state authorities and law enforcement officers during the flood? No, not to speak of. Do you feel that any who assisted in recovery operations took advantage of you or the government? No. Without divulging any names do you know of anyone who filed fraudulent flood claims? No. Do you feel that the flood was divine punishment, a natural disaster, or a man-made disaster? It was definitely a man-made disaster. Do you feel that the dam should be rebuilt? If you do, do you feel it should be rebuilt in the same place? Yes, I think it should be rebuilt in the same place and for the good it would do to the community, I think it should be rebuilt. How has the Teton disaster changed your life? It's been a davastating experience. Something that you never want to go through again. It's caused a lot of difficulty that you can hardly get over.

8 I I FULLIIE -5- Do you have anything else you'd like to tell us? No, my wife has. G: The morning of June the fifth was a beautiful summer morning. The yard was lovely and the flowers beautiful and the grass green. Our home was paid for, no debts, a lovely family, friends, and God was in His heaven, and all was right with the world. I had an appointment to get my hair done in town. And Mont was taking the car to be checked. After I got my hair done, we went to visit my sister, Hazel, who died a month later. And that was the last=time I-saw her. We decided to go to the Arctic Circle and have lunch before we went home. We ordered and just as it was ready to serve the radio started announcing that- the dam had broken and for us to get out. At first we paid no attention, but as they repeated it again and again, we decided we better take the lunch and go home. We could call the girls from there quicker and we could go tell them. We tried to get Valeen, but she and Susan were down in the field moving pipe and I couldn't get them. Then we called Rhea, and Karen answered one phone and Gary the other one. They were both screaming, "Grandma, come and get us, come and get us. We're going to be drowned." I tried to calm them down and found out that their dad and mother had gone to Pocatello for a car. Mont was so excited and kept telling me we'd be caught in the traffic jam. I still couldn't believe anything would be very serious. I told the children we'd be right there. I couldn't think of a think to take, only the things I was crocheting for Susan's wedding and a gift we had for Laine's graduating present. After we got out in the car, I thought, I should get back and do something but I still thought it was foolish. Nothing would happen. So I run back in and made the bed. We hurried to Rhea's and picked up Karen and Gary and their big basset hound and I left a note for Rhea that we had the kids., 7+7,7,n," -* 7:7..

9 I 1 I , FULLMER -6- We went up on the hill by the college and we could see the water coming into Rexburg when we got there. We watched the great wall of water rushing through the streets pushing cars, houses, dead cows and live ones, and all kinds of debris. The once placid little town of Rexburg was soon a huge lake of water. It was so unbelievable. That night thousands of people milled through the college with nowhere to go. I never saw sl many little children and babies. It was such an awsome feeling, just like everyone was in shock, not even the babies cried. It was that same awesome feeling we had felt the night of the earthquake. The air was so still. Then the church and the Red Cross went into action. We were assigned a room in the dormitory and the luch we had ordered was put to good use for our grandchildren's supper. Everyone was hunting for some of their loved ones. The electricity and phones were out of order and no way to get word out to our children. That morning we left, so secure. I never thought I would see the time when I would have to be able to, or be glad to stand in line for something to eat and a change of clothes. The LDS church and Red Cross done a wonderful job. We really saw the welfare program of the LDS church in action. And we were really proud to be members of the LDS church. Three days later we rode and walked twelve miles to get into our home to see what we had left. All the stories and imaginings that we had were not nearly bad enough. Our fifty years of work, toil, heartaches, and memories were all gone in just a few short hours. Our daughters' homes, Valeen's and Rhea's were in the same condition. The water had been up about six feet high in the house and had swirled around in there tearing cabinets, stoves, pianos, china closet, and everything else in the house dumped in

10 1 1 1 I 1 I 1 I I FULLMER -7- the floor, silt covered with fourteen inches of wet mud and manure that had been washed down from the Meyer's feed yards. The river and canal were all full of debris so they kept the canal bank and let all that water run in on us for three weeks. We didn't have a thing left worth saving. If all the things that we lost besides our home, and all our memories of our families growing up, and book of rememberences, and our gee ealogy that had been taken years apart where collecting and putting thought together, were all gone. I have lost two sisters since the flood and only have one brother left out of a family ofnine, so that there is just no chance of ever being able to collect those things again. But I am so grateful to the Lord for the preservation of our families and friends and the desire we have to keep working to build back the things we once had. Our son said one morning as we had prayers, "I'm sure God had a reason for letting this happen. Please help us to understand and not be bitter."