On Thursday, May 28, 2026, the “Just Add Water: The Dam That Broke Us and Built Us” Teton Dam Flood Exhibit opens at Rexburg City Hall with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. 

The exhibit's opening kicks off a weeklong commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Teton Dam Flood.  

Throughout the week, individuals can participate in a range of activities, from service projects to motorcycle rallies. 

On Saturday, June 6, a 5k, 10k, and half-marathon will be taking place for those who wish to participate. Paige Martinez, a BYU-Idaho student studying pre-nursing, shared her excitement about being able to run.

“I have always been into running, so anytime there is a run, I always enter. I didn’t know what the Teton Dam flood was, so I was able to learn some history, and it makes me even more excited to run," Martinez said.

Jed Platt, Director of Culture Arts for the City of Rexburg, encourages those interested to get involved by visiting the Flood50 website. 

Platt shared a new approach to sharing information about the dam for this year's flood anniversary. 

“Our focus, from the historical society, is to get people exploring downtown; there's still evidence of the flood in certain buildings,” Platt said. 

With the guidance of a walking map, individuals can explore buildings such as the Romance Theater that still has a visible floodline, along with other buildings that still have remnants of the flood left in them. Through the downtown area, on several buildings, a 5-foot watermark has been marked to illustrate the depth of the water that flowed through Rexburg. 

Platt stressed the importance of community and service during this time of distress for citizens during the flood. He explains how the community relied on Ricks College at the time for meals and housing for displaced residents. The community was able to gather around each other and rely on one another. 

“This commemoration isn’t just to say, ‘remember how we suffered 50 years ago,’ but it’s to reflect and to say ‘remember how this community showed up, served each other, and got through it together,’” Platt said. 

The Teton Dam was completed in November 1975 and began to be filled with water in 1976. As the water level rose, water began to shoot out uncontrollably from seepage holes. Bulldozer operators tried tirelessly to plug the holes; however, these futile efforts could not prevent water from ripping through the dam, unleashing more than 80 billion gallons of water. 

Several communities in Idaho's Upper Snake River Valley, including Rexburg, were flooded. The flood spread more than 100 miles in three days, destroying buildings and crops. 11 people died.  

Amid the destruction, these communities came together to clean up the damage.

The Bureau of Reclamation used the Teton Dam failure as a massive call to action for its Dam Safety program. To ensure long-term safety, this program enforces regular inspections, analyses and updates when necessary. Today, the program operates under a clear mission statement:

"To ensure Reclamation dams do not present unreasonable risk to people, property, and the environment."

After 50 years, the Rexburg community continues to grow and prosper following the events of the flood. Students and community members looking to explore this history, view the artifacts or sign up for the week's events can attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony at City Hall on May 28.