Filed under: Environment, History, News, The United States | Tags: Eruption, Mount St. Helens, Natural Disasters, Volcano
[Ed. note: the following was originally posted in 2008 on this infamous day]
Chances are, if you’re not from Washington or Oregon, the date May 18th has little meaning to you. Heck, even around here many don’t think of it unless someone reminds them. But I remember — every year. It’s one of the only world events I remember from back then — I was very young after all; but the eruption of Mt. St. Helens on May 18, 1980 was just the kind of event that little boys remember forever.
We were very fortunate; the mountain exploded northwards, but the winds carried the ash-cloud away to the southeast. I remember being somewhat disappointed that the ash wasn’t turning day into night for us like it was for all the people on the television. In fact, we didn’t seem to get any ash-fall at all, much to my chagrin; while people on the other side of the mountain were measuring it in inches, like snow.
So much excitement! …and so little pay off.
About the most exciting thing I personally experienced was standing on my father’s roof to see the enormous plume looking fairly small and unimpressive so many miles away. I’m not sure if we heard the explosion or not. They say people heard it as far as 700 miles away, and we were certainly much closer than that. I think we did — but that could just be my memory playing tricks on me.
So close, and yet so far. But I still remember it every year.
Where were you?
Update: Michael Rubin at the Corner links to an excellent photo montage on the eruption and the aftermath.
4 Comments so far
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American Elephants 
I certainly remember it. The following autumn, my older brother wrote an award-winning article on the consequences that the ash plume had for jet engines. It is the reason why flights are now canceled or diverted to avoid passing through ash plumes.
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Comment by Subsidy Eye May 18, 2014 @ 11:05 pmWow, that’s a neat story. Good for him!
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Comment by American Elephant May 19, 2014 @ 2:37 amI lit a candle for Mr. Truman, who ran the Spirit Lake Lodge. I’d met him a few times before the eruption, and he was a nice old man.
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Comment by Lon Mead May 19, 2014 @ 10:03 pmGood for you. Yes, he seemed to be. And he wasn’t afraid to go down with his home. I remember admiring him then, and I still do.
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Comment by American Elephant May 20, 2014 @ 5:37 am