Larry E. Morris, Writer and Historian


In the autumn of 1940, two American icons met in Sun Valley—writer Ernest Hemingway and actor Gary Cooper. Although “Hem” was brash, larger-than-life, and hard-drinking and “Coop” courteous, non-confrontational, and taciturn, they became close friends. And though they would meet over the years in Hollywood, Cuba, New York, and Paris, it was to Idaho they always returned, forging a bond that sustained them through the highs and lows of stardom, through personal trials and triumphs and from their first conversation to their deaths seven weeks apart in 1961. This book celebrates the story of that unforgettable friendship.
At 11:37 p.m. on August 17, 1959, a 7.5 earthquake rocked Montana’s Yellowstone country. In an instant, an entire mountainside fractured and thundered down onto the sites of unsuspecting campers. The mammoth avalanche generated hurricane-force winds ahead of it that ripped clothing from backs and heaved tidal waves in both directions of the Madison River. As debris and flooding overwhelmed the river, injured victims frantically searched the darkness for friends and family. This book tells the gripping minute-by-minute saga of the survivors who endured the interminable night and the families who waited days and weeks for word of their missing loved ones.