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Provo Canyon Avalanches Have Long History of Death, Destruction

Click to see original imageThe destructive avalanche that cascaded over Brrdal Veil Falls Monday led some to look through photo albums at car-her avalanches at the popular tourist spot. Julia Hegsted o1′ Springville has photographs o1 an avalanche at Bridal Veil Falls she said occurred rn 1904 or ISO5. it appears to be a large one that crossed the river. but just missed the three-story roatlltouse that was located near the present parking lot at Bridal Veil Falls. llegstcd said sltc was too young lu remember the slide. but said sht- remembered that travelers who made tht- tno-dat horse and buggy trur trorn Provo to Heber otteu stayed at the roadhouse. She said the same trip made by train in a day The photographs show that the slide became its own tourist spot. in one photo. ladies in long dresses and men all wearing hats are shown climbing over the mass ul snow 0ne oi the worst Bridal Veil Falls avalanchos in terms of lives lost occurred rn March of lim. Five men who were part of a large work crew assigned clear an avalanche at Bridal Veil Falls from the Denver Rro Grande tracks tried to outrun a second slide. Two men died “All hell broke loose and we heard a terrible indcscribible noise. it sounded a little like 10,000 cannons set otl at once. said Spencer Madsen in 1979. when he was H2. He was one of the tive, His brotherrrnrlaw, Don Allred was one of the dead, Madsen said the men were carrying dynamite up the avalanche to a spot where the slide covered the railroad tracks He said Everct Backman. a man assigned to watch for signs o1 another avalanche tired a warning shot on a rule when he saw more snow comming from the top of Bridal Veil Falls. Madsen said all trvc mcn started to scramble. some up canyon and some down. When rt was over. only three of the 1rve workmen were alive. “ll we would have all stayed where the dynamite was located we all would have survived.” Madsen said. The avalanche split into lingers leaving the spot where the dynamite was untouched. Madsen said that Ben Carter- barely escaped with hrs lite when he was thrown more than 250 teet by the concussion that preceded the talling snow A newspaper account of the tragedy said the concussion and wind preceding the avalanche mowed down trees and knocked out a river bridge. “The wind that preceded the avalanche was terrible.” Madsen remembered. . .e He said when he saw the avalanche coming he Npoured on the gas and went up-canyon.” Madsen said falling snow filled his eyes and forced him Lu. run blind. He said at one point. he stopped for a second and scratched the snow from his eyes only to see he wasn’t yet out of the slides path yet. ”1 really pooured on the gas thert.” he said it took almost tive days to dig out his brother-im law and Mark Hyslop. 1932 was also a bad year for avalanches. Slides beginning in January, closed Provo Canyon for a month. Two slida t’elI from the north side of the canyon near Bridal Veil Falls washing out a power company tlume. On Feb. 2. three slider fell in the morning. One slide came down over the top of Bridal Veil Falls and dumped about lour feet of dry snow on the road. More slides occurred in the aiternoon, tfrrowing a scare into crews working to clean up the slides. On Feb. 9. a larger slide came out of Slide Canyon It was so big that a wooden roadway had to be constructed over the slide sn traffic could ilnaly be rmtored in the camytm.