With Tuesday being the 30th anniversary of Mount St. Helens’ big eruption, the State Archives is featuring an exhibit on what the mountain and Spirit Lake looked like BEFORE St. Helens literally blew its top on that fateful Sunday morning in 1980.

The free exhibit is in the front lobby of the State Archives Building (1129 Washington St. SE) on the Capitol Campus in Olympia. It will be on display through the end of summer. The State Archives is open to the public 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The State Archives and its regional branches have several record series related to Mount St. Helens. Just click here and then type in “Helens” as the keyword for more records and details.

Some of the series shed light on:

• what the city of Castle Rock and Cowlitz County dealt with in terms of disaster recovery following the devastating eruption;
•  Gov. Dixy Lee Ray’s files on various state agencies in relation to the mountain’s eruptions in 1980;
•  the State Military Department’s records documenting its response to the eruption and its response afterward;
•  the State Patrol’s files and maps dealing with the eruption and its aftermath, including area closure maps, contingency plans and other documents; and
•  files compiled by joint and select legislative committees that focus on eruptions, mud flows, Corps of Engineer projects, long-term hazards and recovery, and tourism.