On June 19, 1971, 30 year-old Minneapolis Police Officer Ronald Ottoson attempted to save Luis Ybarrondo and Wayne A. Creek from drowning.
In the words of Chief Park Ranger Frank Betts, the accident that day at Grand Teton National Park was the worst in its long history.
On that day, several teams had signed up to climb the 10,500 foot Symmetry Spire. As the first team made its descent glissading down the steep mountain, 28 year-old climber Robert Deal tumbled into a partially-hidden water-filled snow cavern. His fellow climber Richard DaBell attempted to save him by lowering himself into the cavern by rope as did William Radtke but they were unable to reach Mr. Deal in time and he perished.
Minneapolis Police Officer Ronald Ottoson was in the second team which had halted at the ledge of the snow cavern and shouted out to the party behind them to halt.
Tragically, nine-year-old Luis Ybarrando and 36-year-old Wayne Creek could not stop and slid down into the crevasse. Officer Ottoson threw a rope coil into the darkness and, after feeling nobody tug on the rope, rappelled 20 feet down into the hole to find the two climbers tightly buried in snow up to their necks with icy water from a nearby snow-dammed stream filling the cave.
Despite Officer Ottoson’s heroic efforts to pull them to safety, the child Luis and Mr. Creek both drowned.
An attempt to recover the three bodies was made that evening by the Park’s Rescue team led by Ranger Bob Irvine but the night was too dark.
A recovery team of 12 members arrived the next morning. District Ranger Tom Milligan dropped into the narrow, slushy moat. The dammed-up water had drained overnight, such that two of the dead climbers were visible.
Despite harrowing conditions including the icy torrent falling from above, Milligan was able to attach a nylon sling to one victim. Other rescuers engineered a rope system to pull the body to the surface. On the next day of the operation, the team was able to recover a second body using the same technique. The technique was very dangerous however and so on the third day they devised a different technique which used water power to free the last body.
On July 12, 1971 Officer Ottoson and his colleague Minneapolis Police Officer James Hovda, who had also been there on the mountain, wrote in appreciation of the Park Rangers to the Secretary of the Interior Rogers C. B. Morton.
Officers Ottoson and Hovda wrote:
“It is a credit to yourself and to our National Parks system that such high caliber personnel staff these areas. We wish to express our sincere appreciation for being able to witness their very inspiring team while operating on a mountain rescue mission”.
Officer Ottoson was honored by the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission for his heroism.
The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission awards the Carnegie Medal to individuals in the United States and Canada who risk their lives to an extraordinary degree saving or attempting to save the lives of others. To learn more about the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission: https://www.carnegiehero.org/
The Minneapolis Police Museum is grateful to Retired Minneapolis Police Officers Ronald Ottoson and James Hovda for sharing this story.