Hebgen Dam is a concrete-core earthen embankment dam in the western United States, located on the Madison River in southwestern Montana. The dam is tall and in length; its purpose is to store and regulate water for other downstream reservoirs and hydroelectric power plants. Montana Power Company originally built the dam, PPL Corporation purchased it in 1997 and sold it to NorthWestern Corporation in 2014. History Hebgen Dam was built across the Madison River in 1914 by Montana Power Company to create Hebgen Lake. During the 7.5 magnitude 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake in mid-August, the dam was damaged, primarily because of such intense ground movement that water surged over the dam crest four different times, but it was fixed several weeks later. The epicenter of the quake was determined to be beneath the bottom of Hebgen Lake. Seismologists reported it to be the fourth largest quake recorded in the United States up to that time. On August 30, 2008, two of the dam's four hydraulic gates failed, releasing per second of water into the Madison River. The normal discharge of the dam is per second and the gate failure caused a 1-foot rise in the river. See also 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake References External links "Yellowstone earthquake at the Madison River." Tuholske, Lily. "Yellowstone Earthquake at the Madison River." Distinctly Montana. September 9, 1998. Accessed March 18, 2018. Dams in Montana Buildings and structures in Gallatin County, Montana Earth-filled dams NorthWestern Corporation dams Dams completed in 1914