State of Montana Newsroom
Catastrophe at Custer Creek Now Available as Audiobook
The tragic story of those who perished in Montana’s deadliest train wreck
HELENA, MT - Around midnight on June 18, 1938, a luxury train filled with tourists chugged out of Chicago’s ornate Union Station, destined for Tacoma, Washington.
Some passengers slid into fresh linens in tony sleeper cars, looking forward to a breakfast of coffee and fresh-baked rolls served on custom-made fine china. Others settled into more affordable coach accommodations, which nonetheless offered the luxury of air conditioning. The modern cooling system was a welcome amenity, as Montana was experiencing a heat wave.
Unbeknownst to the passengers and crew, the hot days on the prairie were laying the groundwork for the disaster ahead.
Now available as an audiobook on Audible and Amazon, Catastrophe at Custer Creek—published by the Montana Historical Society Press in 2023—follows the final journey of the westbound Olympian No. 15. Along the way, author Ian Campbell Wilson shares the stories of some of the 190 passengers as they hurtle toward Montana’s deadliest railroad disaster on the “imperishable train.”
Narrator Bruce Brown brings the passengers to life. Among them are a pair of twins—Dartmouth College students on their way to summer jobs in Seattle; a family returning to Bellingham, Washington, after an international trip; vacationers headed to Yosemite National Park; and a nurse headed to her sister’s wedding.
Their journey came to a violent end when the train reached remote Custer Creek, located about 25 miles north of Miles City, Montana. Normally, a small bridge carried the train over a dry creek bed that was hardly worth noticing.
On July 18, 1938, however, a massive storm system collided with the hot air that had stifled the prairie for days. “For hours that evening, epic amounts of rain drenched the headwaters of Custer Creek. The torrent hurtled down clay hills on its way to the Yellowstone River, pulling trees, stumps, fences, livestock, and everything else into its muddy fury,” writes Wilson.
The train came upon the little creek just as it swelled to a raging, mile-wide river.
Forty-nine passengers were killed and another 75 injured as the train crashed into the torrent. In addition to the loss of life, the wreck was a financial crisis for the Milwaukee Road, as the rail company was then known, which was already operating under bankruptcy protection for the second time in a decade.
“Fans of the colorful history of the Milwaukee Road, along with rail buffs in general, will likely savor Wilson’s detailed work in this arena,” writes reviewer James E. “Butch” Larcombe. “Stitched together with details about the Olympian’s route and operation are introductions to some of the people aboard the train, and this effort by the author adds human richness to the story of the Custer Creek tragedy.”
296 pages, softcover, 27 black and white photographs, 1 map, ISBN 978-0-917298-78-3, $26.95
For questions, please contact Karen Ogden at