Places - Lost in Time: Spirit Lake, Washington

located in the high mountains of washington state spirit lake was once a beautiful isolated body of water lost among an ocean of trees set against the picture postcard backdrop of the snow-capped mountain helens then on may 18 1980 one of the most spectacular and devastating geological events in human history occurred and in a matter of moments this once idyllic paradise far from the clutter and traffic of seattle and portland was laid waste under millions of tons of volcanic rock and debris the existence of spirit lake is owed entirely to the presence of mountain helens a towering peak that forms part of a chain of volcanoes across the northwest united states known as the cascades that stretch from northern california up into british columbia along what is known as the pacific ring of fire a subduction zone that follows the west coast of north and south america and the eastern coasts of japan the philippines and parts of russia mount saint helens itself is the youngest of the cascade volcanoes coming into being only 40 000 years ago an adolescent when compared to the nearby mount rainier at 500 000 years of age and the neighboring mount adams at 520 000 years of age the form the mountain had taken prior to the 1980 eruption which included a peak of 5000 feet above its base developing only around 2200 years ago and was likely witnessed by tribes of native americans who lived in the wilderness surrounding the volcano native americans have long been associated with the peak the most famous tale of the volcano's formation being due to the feuding of two brothers cricket hat and y east who had fallen in love with the beautiful luwit a woman who had been granted her youth as a gift from the great chief taisali causing the brothers to battle for her affection and destroy the harmony of the forest leaving sahalei angered by their destruction no choice but to strike the three lovers dead with a mountain rising from where each of them had fallen quick attack becoming mount adams why east becoming mount hood and luwit for her beauty becoming mounts and helens indeed native american records also kept track of the volcanoes activity throughout the centuries dubbing the mountain la la la roughly translated as the smoker a name which referenced the fact that among the cascade mountains saint helens was by far the most active known to erupt with extreme violence every few hundred years in 1480 geological records show that saint helens erupted with a magnitude far greater than that of the 1980 eruption followed in 1482 by another large explosion starting a 150 year period of eruptive activity that would end in around 1647. on may 19 1792 almost 188 years to the day before its cataclysmic eruption european eyes first sighted the towering snow-capped mountain from the deck of hms discovery out on the pacific ocean when royal navy commander george vancouver saw the peak as his vessel past the mouth of the columbia river and all struck by its magnificence named it in honour of his friend alain fitzherbert who had recently been appointed first barons and helens in 1800 a volcanic period of 57 years began known as the goat rocks eruptive period the first since activity ended in 1647 and while these eruptions were significant and in some cases likely rivaled the 1980 event they were not enough to destroy the volcano forming the goat rocks dome which would become a significant part of the mountain's profile now near perfectly symmetrical the snow-capped peak quickly became an impressive natural spectacle for those living in its shadow and thus the volcano was dubbed the mount fuji of america and once activity had ended in 1857 the volcano would sit quiet for the next 123 years during which time many casual observers forgot that the peak was in fact an active and extremely violent volcano spirit lake was created through the blockage of the valley by pyroclastic deposits and lahars approximately four thousand years ago with melt water streams from the surrounding hills and peaks eventually filling in the basin to form a horseshoe-shaped lake 2.1 miles long its outlet being the north fork toodle river that float down through the washington countryside before joining the cowlitz river and then the columbia river the remote nature of the area located 25 miles from the nearest town making it difficult to access leaving it a secluded gem in the thousands of miles of rolling forest hills however spirit lake and its wondrous beauty was not unknown and many travelers visited the area in the late 1800s to marvel at the site of mounts and helens reflected in its crystal blue waters while in 1910 the first of many camps was established on the shores of spirit lake this being constructed by the newly formed boy scouts of america with a somewhat rudimentary dirt track being cut through the thick woods that allowed dozens of children to be transported by bus to the lake area these vehicles crudely modified for the rough off-road journey it was here that many kids from working-class backgrounds in portland and seattle as well as further afield got their first taste of true nature and eventually six camps would be situated on the shores of spirit lake the aforementioned boy scout camp of the columbia pacific council a girl scout camp two ymca camps longview ymca camp lewitt and portland ymca camp harmony fall lodge and another campsite for the general public there are also a number of private residences and lodges with the two most notable being the spirit lake lodge and the mountain helens lodge the latter being owned by the notorious harry r truman who first arrived at spirit lake in 1928 truman a native of virginia had lived in washington state since 1902 and had previously seen action in world war one when the united states joined the conflict in 1917. during which time he survived the sinking of the cunard liner ss tascania at the hands of german u-boat ub-77 after the war truman had become involved in bootlegging alcohol on behalf of a san francisco crime syndicate during the prohibition era smuggling moonshine from canada to california in a cessna float plane but when relations turned sour between himself and his criminal employers he fled back to his washington home setting up a gas station and automotive service center in jihalis until finally following threats from the san francisco mob he abandoned his auto repair venture and track the 25 miles to spirit lake setting up a small lodge on the shores adjacent to the lake's outlet into the north fork toodle river the lake as well as the mountain itself was the property of the northern pacific railroad company and thus truman negotiated the lease of a 50-acre plot of land on the lakeshore in the shadow of mount st helens building three lodges during his time at spirit lake the first being lost to a fire while he his first wife and a friend were having a party and the second being destroyed due to weather the mountain helens lodge would gradually expand from a single large building to several cabins that stretched down a small gravel path towards the lakeshore with truman's favorite the passion pit being specially designed for honeymooners despite its garish pink interior and it was truman's presence together with his expansive circle of friends that helped to create the spirit lake highway which was driven through the trees and brush to his lodge in the 1940s allowing for easier access to the lake area and therefore making the region a major tourist attraction during the summer months life for those living and working up at the lake was simple but satisfying with the area giving rise to long trails that circled spirit lake and crossed the hills while the spirit lake highway ended two miles beyond the lake at the tree line the edge of the forest on the slopes of mounts and helens making it the perfect starting point for those wishing to ascend the mountain which thanks to its even slopes and symmetrical shape was comparatively easy and could be accomplished by seasoned hikers in around four hours during winter an improvised ski slope was created by introducing rudimentary lifts to the side of the mountain though no permanent ski resort was established at mounts and helens while on the lake itself there was boating rafting canoeing swimming and other water sports with a floating diving board and slide being placed on a barge for the kids at the surrounding camps to use perhaps truman's biggest claim to fame prior to the 1980 eruption was his unexpected friendship with associate justice william o douglas who had attempted to stay the execution of ethel and julius rosenberg for espionage crimes during the height of mccarthyism in 1953 and after being accidentally insulted by truman began a lifelong friendship with the lodge owner and made spirit lake his annual vacation spot away from the turbulence of 1950s american politics beyond the tourist trade the area around manson helens and spirit lake was also of significant importance to the logging industry with the warehouse corporation being the largest firm in the area the trees surrounding mounts and helens including douglas fir maple and pine which were much sought after for use in building household and office furniture while also being home to herds of elk and deer and large predators such as black bears and wild cats while spirit lake and the surrounding region enjoyed its place as a major tourist trap during the 1950s 60s and 70s the casual tourist was unaware that the mountain was still a very active volcano but the notion of any of the cascade mountains exploding was often shrugged off the last of the volcanoes to erupt being lassen peak in california between 1914 and 1917 with a devastating blast in may 1915 causing widespread damage but note deaths due to its remoteness regardless the united states geological survey or usgs continued to monitor all of the cascade mountains with mounts and helens being of particular concern due to its history of activity a 1978 report by the usgs stating that based on its previous pattern of eruptions a significant volcanic event was likely to occur before the end of the 20th century that event came on march 15 1980 when small tremors deep inside the volcano indicated that magma was moving within the mountain followed five days later by a 4.2 magnitude earthquake at a very shallow depth beneath the volcano's northern flank an indisputable sign that the mountain was returning to life quakes began to swarm peaking at 5.1 on the richt scale just after noon on march 25th causing a number of avalanches on the snow-covered slopes before finally at 12 36 pm on march 27th the first phratic or steam eruption burst through the rock at the summit of the volcano blasting out a new crater 250 feet wide while sending columns of ash 7000 feet into the air accompanied by large cracks forming across the northern face of the volcano some stretching up to three miles in length two days later a second crater emerged with a blue flame caused by burning sulfur being observed in its depths and by april 7th the two craters had merged to form a depression 1700 feet across in the mountains summit upon the resumption of activity at mount st helens the area was promptly evacuated on april 3rd following reports by geologists that strong harmonic tremors indicated an explosive eruption would be due the only resident to ignore the evacuation order being harry truman at the mountain helens lodge truman whose third wife edna had tragically succumbed to a heart attack in 1978 lived alone at the lodge and had closed it shortly after her passing as the workload became too much for the then 81 year old only opening certain cabins during the summer season but despite the insistence of geologists and state officials that the volcano was expected to see a massive eruption truman refused to leave his home of 52 years an act of defiance that made him something of a folk hero to keep people away from the volcano the governor of washington dixie lee ray as advised by the usgs established a cordon called the red zone its dimensions based on the potential destructive radius of a vertical eruption but although the cordon was enforced by police roadblocks and a five hundred dollar fine or one thousand five hundred and fifty four dollars in 2021 it was largely ineffective as nearly one thousand square miles of woodland had to be guarded with many unknown jeep trails and dirt tracks being exploited by those who wanted to observe the unfolding eruption up close harry truman's continued refusal to leave the red zone made him popular among journalists who wanted to meet the rebellious octogenarian with most of his visitors being flown to spirit lake by helicopter much of the frustration of the state government and the police department who were unable to halt back the tide of reporters and interested well-wishers gathering at the roadblocks with a significant death toll feared in the event there was a cataclysmic eruption while so many people were roaming free inside the red zone visiting truman some intruders into the red zone however were there for much less friendly purposes with truman often hearing cars driving up and down the spirit lake highway in the dead of night or roving the woods near the abandoned cabins and lodges with the spirit lake lodge located just up the road from truman's mountain helen's lodge being broken into and trashed by an unknown group of vandals who stole valuable items destroyed the furniture and slept overnight leaving truman so afraid that he'd be next in line for the looters that he often sat in his garage armed with his rifle up on the mountain the geological situation was becoming increasingly complicated as while activity continued at the summit a large bulge began to appear on the side of the volcano's northern flank which by the end of april measured to a diameter of 1.5 miles the site of the bulge corresponding with the location of the previous goat rocks eruption in dome with magma traveling through the former side vent due to the main crater on the summit being blocked by the plug the presence of the bulge concerned geologists who considered the possibility of a lateral eruption taking place instead of the more traditional vertical eruption compounded by a slowdown of activity at the summit during late april which caused many to wonder if an eruption would actually take place at all under pressure from residents who had been evacuated the state government considered lifting the red zone but usgs volcanologist david a johnston who had been monitoring the event convinced officials and the media that the eruption was nowhere near finished being able to stall the proposed removal of the exclusion zone until activity restarted in early may with one constant of this dead period being the continued growth of the bulge on may 16th visible activity at the mountains ceased once again and interest in the potential cataclysmic eruption dropped this being followed a day later after continued pressure by local residents to check the condition of their homes by the state government allowing them to be escorted into the red zone but only after signing waivers absolving the government of any responsibility in the event the mountain erupted while they were present as such a convoy of cars was led up to the spirit lake area where many homeowners face the harrowing site of their properties haven't been broken into while a sikorsky s61 helicopter was hired to rescue equipment left behind at the various scout camps and a group of friends stopped in to check on the ever-defined harry truman though truman had throughout the entire event refused absolutely to leave his lodge he had made one exception on may 14th when after letters of admiration and respect had been sent to him by students at a high school in salem oregon which had moved into tears he was flown by helicopter on behalf of national geographic to visit the school children for a day being returned to his lodge after meeting those who had wished him well eventually the convoy had to leave with the intention being to repeat the visit to the abandoned properties the following day if the mountain stayed quiet bidding farewell to truman as the last people to see him alive the following day may 18 1980 saw no change in activity as the sun rose over washington state and despite the existence of the exclusion zone dozens were still present including loggers for the warehouse corporation and volcanologists with the usgs while harry truman remained steadfast in his lodge on the shores of spirit lake and alone in his travel trailer six miles from the volcano at an observation post called coldwater 2 usgs volcanologist david a johnston made his first observation of the day at six o'clock suddenly at around 8 32 am a 5.1 magnitude earthquake rocked the northern slope of the mountain causing landslides to tumble down the southern interior wall of the vast summit crater followed seconds later by gigantic cracks that ripped across the northern flank of mountain helens the entire face of the mountain collapsing downward in a massive landslide the largest in recorded history approximately two cubic miles of the peak tumbled at speeds of between 110 and 150 miles an hour followed closely by the unplugged core of the volcano a titanic surge of pyroclastic rock bursting from the now-exposed magma chamber that engulfed an area of up to 15 square miles in a matter of seconds david johnston observing the event from his position six miles north of the volcano was able to get one last report out on the radio to his colleagues before his position was overrun followed moments later by amateur radio operator jerry martin situated two miles behind johnston's position on a hill who solemnly announced over the radio of the volcanologist's demise before he too was obliterated by the pyroclastic cloud spirit lake took the full force of the volcano's wrath the enormous landslide tumbling into the water with harry truman his lodge and the 16 cats that kept him company being buried beneath the devastation not a single piece of either himself or his 50 acre site being left to find surge of rock and debris that crashed into the lake caused a tsunami that ripped 800 feet across the adjacent hills destroying everything in its path and washing away spirit lake lodge the ymca and scout campsites tearing away trees from the adjacent hillside and scouring the soil down to bedrock when the waters finally returned into what remained of spirit lake it dragged the uprooted trees with it leaving a floating layer of decimated timber on its surface that still exists today while the deposits of rock and tephra occupying the western end of the lake has forced its surface at least 100 feet higher than it was before the eruption meanwhile lahars or superheated high-speed flows of ash mud and rock course down the north fork tuthill river wiping out homes bridges and businesses as far as the columbia river over 50 miles away creating a new sediment bank that trapped ocean-going ships for several days until it could be dredged also being the main cause for fatalities in the eruption as people outside the red zone were caught unaware within the space of two minutes spirit lake and all that had been created to enjoy this isolated paradise in the remote washington hills had been reduced to an ash-covered wasteland harry truman's mountain helens lodge now a smoking fumarole venting toxic sulfur from deep within the earth while the lake itself was a muddy grotesque pond gray with pumice and tephra in all 57 people would become victims of this massive eruption the largest ever to take place in recorded history on the continental usa and for years following the eruption spirit lake was left as a lifeless stagnant body of water filled with dead trees and volcanic acid scientists being convinced that its waters would be unlikely to see new life inhabited for decades to come the toxic gas is being vented into its remains being only suitable for certain forms of bacteria however in 1983 life did return to spirit lake in the form of phytoplankton followed closely by amphibians such as frogs and salamanders that migrated in from unaffected areas while trees and plant roots began to sprout out through the thick layers of ash and pyroclastic rock followed closely by larger mammals like elk and deer who rebuilt their habitats on the slopes of the now obliterated mountain helens in 1993 scientists were shocked to find a fish living in spirit lake this lone river salmon being christened harry in honour of the late lodge owner and since then scientists have ensured that the lake area is off limits to visitors in order to allow nature to propagate without the influence of man today the natural world surrounding the once destroyed land near manson helens is thriving with trees and animals recolonizing but the life the lake once enjoyed as a picturesque escape for the residents of the pacific northwest is now but a fading memory kept alive only by photos and the surviving tales of those old enough to remember what was once spirit lake you

Channel: Ruairidh MacVeigh

Views: 28,760

Keywords: Mountain, Mount St Helens, Mt. St Helens, St Helens, Washington State, Washington, Spirit Lake, Lake, Water, River, Volcano, Destruction, Explosion, Pyroclastic Flow, Lahar, Landslide, David A. Johnston, Harry R. Truman, Harry Truman, Eruption, Police, Volcanic Activity, Plate Tectonics, Oregon, United States of America, USA, United States, America, Ring of Fire, Cascade Mountains, Cascades, Lassen Peak, Pacific Northwest, Lodge, Recreation, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, USGS, US Geological Survey

Id: DxK6P2TRmX8

Length: 19min 41sec (1181 seconds)

Published: Tue May 18 2021