Central WA | billw - 5/18/2021 10:29
I remember the day very well. It was a Sunday. Had been to church that morning, all kinds of other things going on that afternoon, hadn't watched the news. That evening was the Senior Sermon for my high school graduating class, and the Priest mentioned in his sermon that the eruption had occurred and how it would most likely be a notable day in many years to come. I'll never forget that, and a few days later was graduation. We went out with a bang :)
Mt. St. Helens hadn't erupted in over 100 years, if I recall. Some people still did not believe it was going to happen anytime soon. There were plenty of warning signs several weeks ahead of May 18, along with some earthquake several weeks before, steam escaping, etc. All kinds of signs things were changing fast and likely going to really let loose soon. I remember there was a guy who lived on the mountain, interviewed by TV crews, and who still refused to believe anything was going to happen and he did not leave and he perished on May 18. There was a massive landslide/etc too that was a result of very rapid snow melt from the heat of the eruption.
1980 was a wickedly hot and dry summer here. At the time, it was compared to 1934, 1936 Dust Bowl years for the relentless heat, and also to 1954. Not sure if Mt St Helens actually had anything to do with it, but it was a very bad summer regardless.
The "guy on the mountain" who refused to leave was Harry Truman, believe it or not. Not the Harry Truman that was President but Harry Truman none the less. I suppose that is why I remember his name. I had a JD 95 square back combine which wore out that year. We in western Oregon got a light dusting from the second eruption which fell right after our crimson clover had been swathed. That pretty much finished off the combine when we picked up those swaths. I was so scared of buying anything used the following year that my father consented to us going waaaay into debt to buy a new 7720. We had that combine for something like 20 years. It was a memorable year.....
Clovis |
Mount St. Helens day........
