Richmond commemorating 50th anniversary of major earthquake

It has been nearly 50 years since an earthquake struck Richmond in northern Cache Valley and the city is seeking written submissions of specific memories in the lives of residents who lived through it.

Richmond City will host a commemoration August 30 at 7 p.m.

The plan is to put together a CD with photos, video clips, newspaper reports and oral histories of the quake and make it available for ordering.

The epicenter of the 1962 earthquake, estimated as high as a magnitude 6.1, was at the East Cache Fault, which runs through Richmond. The initial jolt lasted about 35 seconds and reportedly was felt in six states.

There was major damage reported in Richmond, Lewiston and Logan with minor damage throughout northern Utah and southern Idaho.

Those with memories of that day are asked to send them in written form to former Mayor Marvin Traveller at <a href=”mailto:[email protected]” target=”_blank”>[email protected]</a> or by mail to Richmond Quake, P.O. Box 9, Richmond, UT 84333-0009.

“I was at home at the time,” said Traveller, “and I remember our small son in his crib and he had just jumped up screaming at the top of his voice, scared that the house was going to cave in on him.

“When we went down stairs there were several bottles tipped over and there were a few cracks in the wall. But our damage wasn’t nearly as bad as many others in the city.”

Traveller said accounts of the earthquake are coming in at a steady rate.

“Mayor (Richard) Bagley, who was the Mayor previous to me, had enough foresight to collect most of the clippings from the Herald Journal and some photographs that Ariel Benson had, in addition to that.”

In the aftermath of the earthquake several landslides were reported and spring flows were altered in the region. The Utah Geological Survey reports with damage costs of about $1 million, in 1962 dollars, it is the most costly earthquake in the history of the state.

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