From Your Corner of Washington: St. Helens
Thirty years ago today, at 8:32 AM, Washington experienced this: Where were you when Helens erupted?
Thirty years ago today, at 8:32 AM, Washington experienced this: Where were you when Helens erupted?
How we loved this Northwest playground – boating, fishing, camping, swimming, hiking, climbing, scouting. This playful image, from around 1960, is from your State Archives. And, of course, Tuesday will be the 30th anniversary of the mighty eruption that transformed this serene and gentle landscape forever. The eruption touched off the greatest landslide ever, ripping off a large part of that enormous dome, blowing out 3.7 billion cubic yards of mountaintop and spewing ash that girdled the globe a number of…
There has always been something magical and iconic about Mount St. Helens, shown here in all her glory in a rare 1925 photo by Asahel Curtis, from our State Archives lantern slide collection. Many of us grew up swimming and canoeing on Spirit Lake, attending summer camp, picnicking or tent camping, hiking the wildflower meadows, or scaling the conical peak. Rainier may be The Mountain, but there’s always been a special connection with St. Helens, that snow-clad bowl of vanilla…