St. Helens: Out of the Ash
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 เม.ย. 2015
- It was the "perfect mountain", a shapely peak dubbed "The Fuji of the West". 9,677 feet of snow-capped grandeur in the heart of the Cascade Range. On May 18, 1980 Mt. St. Helens captured the attention of the world with a volcanic display unequaled in modern times. This is the story of the cataclysmic events of that day, and the miraculous resiliency of Nature as life returns out of the ash.
Produced in 2005.
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My dad was supposed to be on the mountain the day it blew. He and his best friend had a mining company and a claim on the mountain. However, May 18th, was Lindsey's birthday and the group ALWAYS went to the horse races in his birthday. One guy stayed up on the claim and he perished. They lost everything in the pyroclastic flow, the cabin was blown flat, and their heavy equipment was ruined. I'm so glad it was Lindsey's birthday that day!!!
God didn't want you there. He planned it before Lindsey was born. 😊
It's my birthday on the 18th too!😊
Wow something good happened on a birthday? Must've been by chance because they are pagan. One of only two birthdays mentioned in the Bible was where John the Baptist got decapitated. The other time was when pharaoh killed the baker
I watched it erupt from a hilltop viewpoint near Olympia. The prevailing winds blew most of the ash east towards Yakima, but we definitely got a dusting. I collected a bunch of the ash and, as I was doing a ceramics class in high school, used the ash to make a glaze for some of my pots. It came out of the kiln with a deep earthy dark green flecked with black and gray accents. Still one of the better souvenirs of the event.
My uncle lived around their and sent me some of the pumice rock (I think that's what they called it) and I thought that was the coolest thing. And a book that talked about the guy who refused to leave his home and ended up dying. I think their was a song about him or something.
I was living in Lacey off of College but was in Longview that morning. Within minutes I was I-5 North on my motorcycle trying to outrun the ash cloud but it overtook me a couple miles before the Toutle River bridge and traffic just stopped. I said screw this and drove on the shoulder... When I got to the Toutle River it was insane, the shoulder ended at the bridge so it took a bit to get over it and it was scary as Hell...lol. Finally got out of the cloud at Centralia... Hell of a morning...lol
@@kummakummakummakummakummac8606 Yes, Harry Truman. I was in 6th grade, and we all sent him cards. They're all buried under the ash and mud now.
Theres an idea.
Would have love to have some ash from that baby.
Beutifull glaze
I was 20 and I knew this was something most human beings will never see.
I was 23 going to college in Flagstaff, AZ. I'm really happy to have found this film. Thank you.
My sis and me watched it blow from our backyard in Longview, Wa. After hearing the loudest boom ever, we looked up and across toward the mountain and noticed a lot of black smoke (ash) spewing out of it quite rapidly. My dad comes running out to see and he got out his camera and shot a lot of pictures. We had an absolutely perfect view from where we were. There were no trees in our way to prevent us from seeing the entire event. As soon as they let people back up to the mountain, we all went up there and saw the devastation. I think my dad cried a little as we were all heartbroken with the amount of ruin left where homes, trees, animals were, just months ago, present and thriving. All that was left was quiet and gray.
I remember visiting Mt St Helens about 1984 and all these people were talking about how all the animal life and vegetation is never coming back. Went there again 10 years later, animals everywhere, trees etc. Went back two years ago, can't even tell where it happened if you never knew. To think that nature can't handle a volcano.
Nature is amazing. Plants and wildlife have returned to Chernobyl too, though I imagine they're radioactive.
They didn't know what they were talking about. Ash is a fertilizer, after forest fires, assuming enough rain, the forest recovers within a few years. The island in Iceland that blew up turned into a lush and beautiful island within 3 years after just by birds carrying seeds there.
You’re so full of crap
Volcano Ash is the most fertiliser natural place in the world 😂
I was at Mount St. Helen's in the 70's and Spirit Lake was beautiful
"I pay my taxes!" Say no more, we'll tell the mountain not to blow.
😂lol
What she meant was we are adults and we don’t need the government making choices for us…. My land my choice.. they want to stay. Tyrants have no right to stop them from getting killed their own way.
🤣
I'm watching this 43 years later, 9/5/2023 this is a very interesting and educational video. I was only 4 ½years old when it erupted.
I was living in Vancouver WA. In 1980. I was 12 yo. I remember before the May 18th eruption there was an earthquake and it made them close school for the rest of the year. On may 18th we were helping a friend move and could see the full ash plume from the freeway. Never forget it. It was such a crazy day.
Thank you so much for sharing your firsthand experience during the Mt. St. Helens eruption in 1980! Moments like these truly leave a lasting impression. We appreciate you sharing your unique perspective and being a part of our community!
This is one of the Better Documentarys of what happened to Mt St Helen's and the areas. R.I.P. to those who lost there lives and livelihoods.
I flew past Mt. St. Helens in 1975 on a flight from Boise to Seattle. She was a beautiful mountain all covered in snow. She had a perfect cone shape like Mt. Fujiyama in Japan. I was awestruck. When it blew I thought, "Darn that was the prettiest mountain, too bad it's gone."
Mt rainier looks much more similar to mt fuji
What a Bodacious Explosion 💥 !
Fuji and St. Helens were often called Sisters because of their shared and almost identical Beauty.
Amazing how nature repairs in ways we can't comprehend.
Very profound. 🇬🇧👍
The human body too
All we have to do is get out of the way, nature will do the rest.
I wasn't born until 1984, but I have lived very close to this mountain for most of my life and still do. I see it every time it's clear outside, all our swimming holes on the Toutle river still have ash Banks and evidence of the mountain all around. I still never get tired of watching videos like this.
Washington is truly a beautiful state. I can see Adams and Rainier on a regular basis which for those who don't know, are also dormant volcanoes.
I watched it happen as a young man in downtown Vancouver, Wa. And it was mind boggling. Mother nature takes no prisoners and needs not apologize for it.i felt very fortunate to be a part of seeing history in the making.RIP to those 53 people who were warned but got too close and suffocated from the ash trying to escape. Ain't nice trying to fool mother nature!
@@richardbrowning8221
There is a spot in Vancouver, WA, at the intersection of SR 500 and SR 503 where you can clearly see the top of Mount St Helens over the businesses.
Not far from there, a block or two south of the intersection of SR 500 and 137th Ave there is a clearing for power line pylons that provides a fantastic view of Mount Hood in Oregon.
i was a few months old when this went up. my mom remembers ash falling at our home in western nebraska
@@richardbrowning8221lip p😅😅oooo
God bless each and everyone of the rescuers! What brave people. I hope the kindness has been returned ten fold in their lives! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
I remember the event well. Watching the news reports, marveling at the sheer power unleashed, and praying for those caught in the cataclysm. Then one or two days later the effects of the eruption became evident half a continent away here in Kansas. A strange other worldly orange sky as the ash cloud dispersed around the globe. The power of nature is awesome. To be both held in awe, and respect.
Same here.
We lived on the west side of the mountain, near Kelso, about 13 miles south of the entrance to the Spirit Lake Highway. We woke the morning of the eruption to an earthquake. We later realized we didn't hear the actual explosion, even though our country home was not far from the mountain...I'd say about fifty miles "as the crow flies". When I went outside, it was "raining" warm mud. Wet ash covered the ground like gray snow...eerily quiet. The cattle and horse seemed bewildered...the only grass visible in our pasture was under a lone fir tree. After providing hay and fresh water for the animals, we made our way to a favorite spot in the hills to the east in our old Datsun pickup (Mom, Dad, our two young boys and a St. Bernard in the small cab). We rounded the hill, passing the point at which we were accustomed to having our first view of the familiar ice cream cone-shaped summit of Mt. St. Helens in all her glory. To our shock and amazement, there was no summit. Not until we climbed a few hundred yards farther could we see what was left of "our mountain". Not yet knowing the extent of the devastation, my husband and I felt an immediate sense of loss of a treasured childhood wilderness-paradise; and at the same time a strange inability to comprehend the gargantuan force of nature that took her from us.
I'm sure words cannot express your feelings. That a life changing event you lived through.
Seems like I watch all old programs like this they are just so much better than the stuff they make to day. Maybe it's a sign I'm getting old 😆 but I think im right more time & effort put into old stuff.
We're thrilled that you enjoyed our documentary! We put a lot of effort into researching and telling the story of the Mount St. Helens eruption, and we're glad that it resonated with you. Thanks for your support of KSPS PBS and for taking the time to leave a comment!
It was a gorgeous day. I was fishing in a raft on a Cascade High Lake 150 miles South and heard the explosion but didn’t know what it was until I got home a couple days later. The sound travelled down the Cascade range. My Dad was a professor of Volcanology in Eugene and it was the highlight of his career. We hardly saw him for days. Some of his graduate students were near the mountain helping with research.
Glad he made it out okay. I'm sure it was an interesting time for volcanologists, but somewhat scary for their families
I was wondering if there was an audio explosion. Apparently the sound waves flew over the blast zone but they could hear it in Seattle and Portland.
k
@@jongilchrist7229 I thought you said Poland for a sec🤣
May 18th 1980 I was 18...in The military in Germany...I remember hearing about it.
Really excellent documentary. I was in my senior high school year when Mount St Helen’s erupted. We had ash falling in out east central Alberta town. It made a big impression on me. God bless all of those poor souls that perished in the eruption.
I wasn't born until 1985 after Mt St Helens erupted.
Anyone living or at Spirit lake was gone within mins…the heat plus ash and such. I can’t imagine
I was camping at the bottom when it blew!!!!!!!never forget it
Sheila, tell us more. please.
Glad you're here to remember.
How did you survive? What happened?
Uh huh
I still have this documentary... It is actually the only VHS tape that I kept and still own to this day.. it was the only one I couldn't get rid of. Truly a pleasure to see this in such great quality. We all know how VHS tapes look nowadays. Lol
Did you also keep a VCR player to watch this one and only VCR tape? 😂
@@Doorass-uu8nv ….. you can hang on to old VHS tapes for sentimental purposes without _needing_ to have a player, y’know. It’s not like they’re continuously bringing out the VHS player just to watch one tape. They obviously hung onto it for reasons, and those reasons don’t require them to have to actually watch it…
I mean, I’ve got a couple of old VHS tapes that we recorded around the holidays of family from 1988 to 1990. They weren’t able to be converted and transferred over to my PC with the rest of the home vids due to their quality, so I hung on to them for sentimental reasons even though I have no VHS player to actually view them.
I was in Iowa at the time of this. We watched it on the television set. We only had 4 tv channels back in them days.
Amazing that its been 40 years ago today. May 18th, 1980 to May 18th, 2020. I never get tired of watching and learning about the eruption. Incredible what the power of nature can do to change a landscape in seconds.
Mack Pines I have the National Geographic edition on the mountain and had brought it to work in 1980. Just about everyone in my office wanted a copy (Portland, Oregon) . National Geographic got a lot of subscribers that year.
pm
and just think, 40 years before that WWII was still going on. I bring this up because I can remember the Mt St. Helens eruption. I never thought I'd be able to say "I remember 40 years ago..." just like the folks that went through WWII.
I'm watching it this day 2022 WOW n it wasn't referred to me I just looked it up
@@Sleazball_😊
Harry "like many others, felt that there was nothing to fear"? Bullshit. Harry was just plain fearless and was ready for what was to come. Godspeed brother!
Well with Harry his wife was buried there and Harry knew his time was coming and wanted to be close to his wife when he died he had his reasons for not leaving like most people do
To those who have witnessed this event, you have seen one of earths many beautiful spectacles. Helen woke from her slumber and she was angry. I may have not seen Helen blow her temper but I have witnessed a tragic event as it unfolded in 2001. I only have to reach into my mental filing cabinet and pull out the folder that hold the images, sounds of that fateful day. RIP to those who have perished in both events.
Thanks...history lane for a 75 year old
When Mt. St. Helens exploded, I was stationed at Ellsworth AFB, SD (Strategic Air Command (SAC)). The base sent all the bombers and tankers to other SAC bases out of harms way...It was amazing watching all those planes take off....NATURE WILL ALWAYS WIN.....
We are fleas, a nuisance, to be easily disposed of.
George Carlin
I was stationed there too. Except for Sturgess and Mt. Rushmore, that is one boring place.
About how many planes? Are bombers and tankers both planes?
@@lisamariemary We had B-52 bombers and KC-135 air-refueling planes: a bomber would take off followed by a KC-135 - it was known as a "minimum interval -take off"...around 20 combined - might have been more or less....
@@garydavis5703 Thank you so much for telling me about it, I appreciate that. Must've really been something to see.
I was up there about 3 months after the blast. I ran a backhoe in the red zone. I was digging out roads ditches, looking for cars, bodies Nd what ever I dug up. I found a lot of vehicles thank God only one body. I did not sleep for a month after that one. We stayed at yale Washington and it was a 2 hr drive up there every day work 12 he's and a 2 he drive home every day. 7 days a week. We got 29 a hr from 0 to 40 hrs. 40 to 60 was time and half. 60 to 80 was double time and 80 to 100 was triple time and everything over 100 was 5 times. I made really good money in 1980. The only time we got time off was they had probes stuck all over the mountain and any time it hickuped of rumpled they send a helo out of Vancouver and send us home. If it happen at 8 in the morning we got sent home for the rest of the day with pay. I was there working for about 1 1/2 would still be there but job ran out( federal government job) best paying job I ever had. Only thing is the amount of rain it rained there. 120 inch a year on average. People there dont tan they rust.
Amazing story.
Great story loved the 80es early 90es then things seem to have gone down hill since so sad how the world is now are countries are completely different remember on the mainstream media when it was ok my god how brave people were
How deep was the ash on the roads?
Thank you for what you did.
@@cherylthrasher2296 shut up
May 5th 2020 and I just watched this video.. I lived in Vancouver that year after graduating from Hudsons Bay HS in 79.. My dad and I sat on our roof in Hazel Dell and took many pictures the saturday before it blew. But what I wanted to share was, the Feb. before that Sunday in May, a group of us went backpacking up St Helens to a small lake.(don't know if it even had a name), and spent a couple days fishing. We were catching some of the largest trout we had ever seen. After the first eruptions we figured it out that the very old and very large fish were coming up to the colder water.
I was actually in church when it blew, but watched from the parking lot there at Vancouver 1st church on Main St. next to the Safeway. We collected some ash but the front all went to the north and east.
Thanks for letting me share
Thanks for sharing your story and perspective, quite interesting! Examining history can sometimes be painful but nevertheless important to relive at times. I was 22 on that day and living in Va. and could only relate to daily newspaper posts, God bless! S. Carolina
Thanks for sharing Lloyd
were you going to cougarlake?
im in vancouver and its no more vancouver..its like portland now..here...
Devastating but the comeback is remarkable. Well done piece.
I actually have a old pill bottle full of the volcanic ash. Its super fine, no chunks at all in it. The previous owner of the house was there when the ash was falling. He collected a few containers and left us one. It has tape on it with The words "St.Helens,Washington Volcanic Ash May 18th 1980, Clyde S. Brown"
Kevin Johnson You've got a relic and a reminder.
I still have some too, in an old cough syrup bottle. It is fine like baby powder. My grandmother lived in Wenatchee and we would visit her every year. We visited Rocky Reach Dam the following year and they had ash trays in their gift shop, supposed to made of ash, that looked like a volcano. You put your cigarette in the ash tray and the smoke would come through the top of the volcano.
I had dated a boy and inside his mustang there was ash behind all his gauges
Looking great for 40.
Harry Truman was definitely a unique old fellow, but there is one part of his story that upsets me, particularly: taking the risk of staying put would have been okay, if it had only affected him personally. However, all those poor cats who were his pets had no choice. They died with him, because of him. It's always them that I have felt the most sorry for in his part of this tragedy.
👍.... empathy
Those were libertarian cats
@@ajbianchi85😂😂😂 I am known as the crazy cat lady who feeds and takes care of all the stray cats in my area so you would think I wouldn’t have found this funny but you made me laugh.
I was born in Portland and grew up in the surrounding areas. My mother used to point out Mt St Helens and referred to it as "The Snow Cone Mountain" because, with its rounded top, it looked similar to an ice cream cone....and I vividly recall what it used to look like. In the 50's, we moved to CA, but when it blew in 1980, shortly thereafter my wife and I rode a motorcycle to have a view. Police barriers would only let us get so close, for it was still belching steam. I bought a one gallon container, scraped up some ash, (which was everywhere) and transported it back home. For years I looked at it and then finally dumped it on my garden. Did I notice any difference? Why, yes, since you asked....tomatoes the size of my feet with a similar shape!
I was living in Japan when my Dad sent me a polaroid shot of the dark ash cloud heading in the direction of Thorp, WA where our farm was. This was an excellent documentary. Very well done
in all aspects of a very important event in Washington State's natural history.
Did you get to see sakurajima?, what a beautiful scene the pictures from the lakeare
I love the segment about reforestation, both the natural and the manmade.
The video misquoted Harry Truman, they said “he like so many others thought they had nothing to fear”
Harry didn’t say I’ll be OK or nothing will happen to me, he said I’m not leaving, if the mountain blows and takes my home I’m like a ship captain and will go down with the ship.
Yeah I just said that too. Wish I'd known everyone was gonna beat me to the punch. 😒
I was residing near Mount Lake Terrace on that date and I think (as my 80-year-old memory serves) that you would be correct. Nice catch.
I still have a lot of ties in Western WA today, and remember how my Ex's family reacted after learning that my sister-in-law's husband was one of the fatalities. My brother turned 38 that day. A UA flight attendant cousin, Connie, was aboard a SEATAC bound plane that flew by the mountain shortly after the north face collapsed.
This video contains the best compilation of those events I have ever seen. I saw people interviewed that I had never seen but knew of because of their places at the event. It's all still a "WOW" memory.
@Coy Leigh - I think that death is just death when it's done however; 200' of debris on Harry and the lake - I can't imagine that it took very long, to be over for him-
@DB Cooper's MoneyBags - Yeah, 'cause that's _definitely_ what I said... Keep shaking your damn head; maybe something important, will stop rattling around in there. You do realize, that he was probably pulverized in fewer than 5 seconds, max (more like 2) - I doubt he had _time_ to suffocate. I'm not intending to be macabre or indifferent to Harry's death - much less, the means - it's just that he wouldn't have had the time to feel or think much, if anything. You have yourself a cheerful holiday there, sport.
@DB Cooper's MoneyBags - Well, at least _you're_ the expert on that. GTF over yourself, too Mr Expert. You're welcome,as well!
I was 10 years old and I lived in Medical Lake, Wa. Which I'd 15 min outside of Spokane. Wa. And 200 miles from Mt. St. Helen's. I was outside playing with my grandmother's dog. It was a gorgeous Sunday and about 12pm I watched the ash cloud roll in and it went from day light to midnight black. I will never forget going to the Tuttle River after the eruption with my other grandmother and what was left of the river was indescribable.
I was 10 also and remember watching it on the news in California
I was in Lewiston ID, day became night and the temp went up 15 degrees. 2 inches of glass fiber ash.
@Mike Ray drugs are bad ummm k
I was 9 and lived on Mcchord AFB at the time. we didn't get nearly as much as as eastern Washington did.
I was there on 5-18-80 . One thing they never tell you is that the entire ash cloud lit up with flashes , as the gasses exploded within , bringing the cloud to a HUGE lightening show ! I remember Harry Truman as he was interviewed .
Any of you posting realize Mt Novarupta here in Alaska blew in 1912, largest volcanic eruption ever recorded in history, approximately 9 times stronger then st Helen’s and changed the worlds weather approx for a year?😳
@@TroyOttosen-jg7tt That was a huge eruption, imagine being anywhere near at that time. However, Mnt Tambora in 1815 and Krakatoa in 1883 are more powerful recorded eruptions. Unrecorded are so much bigger it's insane. Yellowstone literally has removed mountain ranges from the face of the earth - Super crazy. look at a map of the US and you can see the path of the yellowstone hotspot caldera through the cascades and rockies as the North american continent has moved over it.
@@hisgross I live in Alaska now, just a fact, Mt Novarupta here in Alaska blew up in 1912 at Katmai nt park area it is the largest eruption ever recorded in earth! Look that up!😳😳😳
Whaf? How do we follow your bad English?
How about your BAD SPELLING!@@ceciliazderic214 You are just one who loves to complain !!
Today is May 18, 2020. It's been 40 years since the eruption. I watched it with my neighbors in the Kent valley. It's still the most bizarre thing I've ever seen. A very sad day for those who lost their lives....
Was very young in Spokane. Left that hole years ago, but deeply miss the nature of the PNW. I return frequently
Mastashake oof Spokane is Rough! West side of Washington is best side
@@thebeasters I left the 42% annual sunshine near Seattle for 83%+ in the desert SW nearly 20 years ago.
@@perrydewitte5837 All the western WA transplants I've met here in the SW all left because of the spring of 1999 when we had 93 straight days of rain. We didn't see more than 2 days of sunshine in a row until the summer of 2000.
Feeber Izer to each their own 🤷♂️ the cloudy weather is one of the biggest highlights for me personally, I think everyone that lives here should take vitamin D daily though.
Kudos to to Alison Kartevold. A fine documentary. And, a perfect example of how the quality of information and the consumable but not flamboyant way it is relayed to the viewer by public broadcasting is far and away better than commercial television.
Nature at it(s) most powerful-and in no big rush to share it(s) plans!
MoaSize, yes, I second your assessment, bloody good quality documentary! So much better than many commercial, quickly produced, so called documentaries.
This type of documentary is far better than the sensationalist, dramatic garbage that in this subject instill more fears than the scientists who make their comments in these documentaries would want to.
I don't think Harry thought there was nothing to fear at all, I think he was willing to become part of the universe once again on his terms, which if that included the eruption, so be it. Definitely admire his logic and emotional perception.
Go Harry!
Without the Corps of Engineers, much of what you see in the PBS documentary would be dramatically different. The Toutle River flowing out of Spirit Lake was stopped by the avalanche that formed a natural “dam” that raised the height of the lake by 200 feet. As the lake rose, there was immediate danger of the lake overflowing the loose material in the dam which would have caused the dam to quickly scour and suddenly collapse. The Corps drilled a tunnel in the side of the mountain with adjacent outlet works to provide a controlled outflow, thus saving Spirit Lake from collapse and another devastating, if not deadly flood event downstream. This was completed in 1985.
Then the Corps of Engineers built Mount St. Helen's Sediment Retention Structure (dam) that impounded water on the Toutle River several miles downstream of the volcano. This created a lake that slowed down the river flow and allowed the voluminous tons amounts of suspended sediment to fall out of suspension. Water flowing through the outlet works of the dam was now clear and provided for the return of anadromous fish up to the dam. With a newly built fish collection facility, the Corps transported returning fish upstream and restored the fish runs. This was completed by 1989. Both the tunnel and dam cost over $80 million dollars, yet received not a single word in this PBS report. Terribly sad.
It's incredible how nature responds after a devastating disaster such as this eruption of Mount St Helens. Recovery is a miracle that the earth can survive. Yes somethings will die, but! many things will recover and it takes time.
I was 11 when Mt St Helens blew her top! Most awesome show of how powerful nature really is & how fragile human life is. Mr. Truman was a stubborn ass for not leaving the mountain when he had a chance , now he's buried under mud. so sad.
Harry had said St Helens was his life & he wouldn't last a day anywhere else. I look at it as he didn't want to leave the place he always called home & died where he was the happiest & most of us we'll be lucky to die in our happiest place
I have a feeling that even if he knew what was coming exactly as it happened he still would have stayed put. Harry had over 50 years invested there and in the twilight years of his life nothing was going to change that not even the mountain that took his life
Great storytelling. I liked the voice of the female narrator. The Mount Saint Helens eruption has fascinated me ever since I knew about it. From the Philippines
You got taal, what a amazing area up on the cliff in tagaytay, looking down on volcano island, that was my honeymoon 3/23
The host/narrator is awesome. I need to find more docos where she's the narrator. So professional and intelligent.
I agree. She did very well. Her name is Alison Kartevold
@@corners3755 Track down her KSPS documentary on the prehistoric Glacial Lake Missoula Floods. It’s also quite good.
"We're paying taxes and we'd like to use our property. I'm not afraid."
Famous last words.
Reminds me of what some people are saying about the current situation.
If that moron is still alive today she's probably a Branch Covidian.
The amazing ignorance comparing this to a virus. A absolute threat compared to one with a small percentage of fatal consequences. Sheep disguised as humans.
@@dcpack See you at Spirit lake!
@@dcpack Your right. Going to the red zone only put yourself at danger. Spreading the virus puts lots of people in harms way. Thanks for pointing this out.
I was 23 and lived in Portland. I was on the roof of our apartment and watched in awe. She became “my mountain” and I have witnessed every eruption since. I love that mountain.
Me too, I live in Portland also, I was 20
From Portland you could see the explosion??? Holy cow:…
Totally get it. I live in the Alps and I love them. ❤🏔🌋
I was 10 years old when Mt St Helen's eruption. I'm 49 now, its been almost 40 years ago. My family and I were living in Olympia Washington. Cars stopped working, I remember we had to cover our mouths. It was terrible. Everything covered in ash. Very eerie feeling I had back then.
I actually own some of that ash in a pill bottle that the old owner of my house bottled. He was actually at St.Helens when it blew. He told the story perfectly.
I can also see how it would be harmful. The ash is very fine so it could be inhaled very easily
@@kevinjohnson7300 And then turns to concrete in the lungs. Ouch.
@@lhaviland8602 my daughter told me that's called pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.
@@2ManyGoats yep
I was an undergraduate student from California at WAzzu. I will never forget this moment in time. ❤
I was five years old when she erupted in 1980. We were camping somewhere in the North Cascade Mountains. All I remember is my daddy packing us up quickly and I-90 was closed and we had to drive home the long way.
I remember the DJ who said, "You don't have to come to Washington for vacation. The state of Washington is coming to you."
Hahahahahahaha!
Some DJs got it goin' on. Excellent. Thanks for your comment!
Bill Dumke OKAY BY MARIE REYES
Omg looooooool
9
Ash dropped in San Diego.
I have watched a few documentaries regarding Mt St Helens. This is my favorite. Well done. This is a gem.
Mine too, and I was 90 miles north of the event on that date, and ready to help my brother celebrate his 38th birthdate anniversary.
That's the miracle of PBS! They *never* cease to make excellent content!
This truly is a realy good made documentarie,I was amazed by the intelligenze and knowledge of all those spezialists,mark this one or make a copy,those kinda great material is really hard 2 find online.
I think I might like the Minute by Minute doc by A&E better from back when they used to actually make real docs rather than just reality tv
Tho this does go deep into the after effects of and life after the eruption that others don’t
@@billofjazz i live up north
Today, 18th May, is the 40th anniversary of the Mt. St. Helens eruption.
Boom!
Hard to believe it was that long ago
And coverup anniversary as well
Still feels so recent. Knowing how long it's been makes me feel a tad old. We had been married 2 years when this happened. Amazing.
The most interesting takeaway form this documentary is how quickly and efficiently nature repairs itself.
Everyone always underestimates nature. Over and over.
@@jovetj Indeed So in other words Nature warns us all not to do that. Funny enough younger children have been known to be more in tune with nature than older people. In other words nature is the greatest teature to young kids of the younger generation and in time is slowly starting to teach us all.
Mother nature laughs at humans...I do too.
The problem is not nature.
Despite what liberals tell us
Those first assistance army hospital tents also took care of some injured BFs on this occasion.... Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching our video!
It's always fascinating to learn more about historical events like the eruption of Mount St. Helens, and the role that various groups played in responding to the disaster.
Thanks again for watching and for your support!
Best regards,
The KSPS PBS team
Yep!!
A fine example of what television programmes should be like! 👍🏻👍🏻
I was in Vancouver on May 18th 1980 driving north at 8:30 am and saw the eruption; It was awe inspiring. 10 years later I was up on the north side with a local Boy Scout troop planting seedlings. In the early 1960s i worked at a Church Youth camp on Spirit Lake and have many pleasant memories of hiking to Leta Lake, timberline on St. Helens. I am pleased to see the rebirth of the forest.
An amazing event! I wasn't there, but it is forever etched in my memory. RIP Harry!
Glad you weren't mountain man. Cheers to the next adventure
Blew up on my birthday turned 17 and was in boot camp!
Talk about omens.
So interesting to watch this after all these years.
*My father and I collected grass with ash on it in the state of Western Kentucky. Watched it on our television back then.* 😊
A+ documentary, very well done; one of the best information rich science documentaries I've seen. Mt. Saint Helen's is a beautiful mountain and amazing how she literally rose from the ashes and created such amazing natural features. Plus, she is a living breathing science laboratory and she's very talkative, from a nature point-of-view.
I was living in Portland at the time and remember it vividly. Able to see it was awesome
On The day of the big eruption, 5/18/80, I had a massive car wreck that put me in the hospital for 8 days. Much of that time was spent watching the drama of the eruption unfold in real time. I've always felt connected to that mountain! I enjoyed this
40 years ago on this very day. Gods speed to those who died
RIP
Smokey ! Smokey Bear ! King of the Wild Frontier !
I am looking forward to its next eruption, I just hope it gives us some warning to get all the tourists and researchers to safety first.
@@orlandotouristtraps7410 Did you not pay attention? They tried to keep tourists and such out, it doesn't work, because humans are STUPID AS HELL and were more likely to go see the mountain go boom.
I was 11 years old in West Michigan in the late spring of 1980. I remember seeing some of the ash cloud floating in the sky, almost 2,000 mils away. Interesting times.
Ok
I was 6 and living in Montana. It looked like a dirty snowstorm had hit our town. I still have ash from the eruption.
@@jackycook64 it's ok
Thank you. I so enjoyed that.
Glad you enjoyed it!
THANKS FOR THIS VIDEO MOTHER NATURE HAS NO RULES
I remembered when Mount St Helens erupted, we felt the explosion 250mi north in Delta B.C Our house shook
I lived in north delta at the time, I was only 7 years old at the time, but I remember my older siblings talking about it...
I was in Vancouver, BC and I just remember hearing a loud boom.
I lived in Yakima and Actually from the distance got to watch it happen. In 20-30 minutes Yakima was Dark red and orange haze.
I've never been there, but I heard that in Yakama they dozed/swept all the ashes into one place and built a park or ball field or something on the ash.
I lived in Washington for a while and visits the mountain many times. This website was very very interesting and I learned more info than I had known from the past. Thank you so much. Miss Washington so very much.
I flew over St. Helens the Sunday before it blew from a meeting in Anchorage… Grew up in the GNW… then we left for Atlanta Georgia… eventually landed in Orlando Florida. My Children have flown by helicopter into the Mt. St. Helens crater… flown over the devastation of the eruption… but still do not have concept of what took place on that Sunday…. This Preso will help!❤️
Mr. Truman did not desire an existence other than what he had at Spirit Lake... big difference than fear!
JaseCJay OK
She apparently didn't listen to what he said did she
He wanted to be right there where he wanted to be. It was God's will and his.
Damn.....I look stupid now. I just made almost the same damn observation you did, in a comment. Yeah, that guy wasn't budging, was he?
@@denisebrashears1552 God's will? Prove it. Total nonsense.
Thank you to all those who shared their experiences that day and the days that followed. In California we heard it in the news but were really too far away and in the wrong direction of prevailing winds to be directly affected. The comments here are really interesting!
I was born and adopted from Yakima, WA to my family in Denver in 1977 and my brother was adopted in October of 1980 also from Yakima. I'll never forget seeing the ash fall from the sky in Denver.
i watched the documentary and noticed 547 had made the thumb-down sign. i wonder what they didn't liked about it... poor people.
Maybe those who lost everything, including family, and don’t like the remembrance
I remember reading an article in popular science magazine several years before that eruption, about volcanoes in the northwest which may erupt, like Mt. Shasta and Mt.Hood and others. The article didn`t mention Mt. St. Helens. When they started talking about Mt St. helens, I had never even heard of it.
Some of my parent's friends were just out of college and driving around the area, and stopped on a hilltop and watched the eruption
In 1980 I was living in the Tri-cities. It went dark at noon as we received a considerable amount of ashfall.
I just totally loved this video. I can't thank KSPS enough for this incredible PSA re: volcanoes and St. Helens in particular. Well done.
I was there. The ash was overwhelming. I was coming up from the South, and that was a good thing. But it was like driving through a blizzard. You had to stop every few miles to remove your carb air filter and pound the pumice out, to keep the engine from overheating. It was crazy. The power of Mother Nature.
Gods speed Harry. I worked on a drillhole over Harry's Lodge in 1983. He is 525 feet down if memory serves.
May Harry Rest With the Angels...never to be Forgotten. And to all those who died.
And Harry's cats...😥
I think it’s said he let the cats out before the eruption because he didn’t know it was going to blow for good
A fascinating documentary hosted by a beautiful lady!
Thanks for watching!
Peasly Canyon, Federal Way,WA we got covered in ASH ,I was around 8 but still remember the dark grey sky .... WASHINGTON STATE PEOPLE you truly are great people ,strong and steadfast ❤
I'm 44 from the east coast. My life's journey has me living in Oregon. My sailboat is at St Helens, OR. Every time im out sailing i wonder how awesome it must have been to be out there sailing the Columbia when that happened. Rip the 57 that died. I love the power that is nature and celebrating the moments of history
7:44 American Scientist: "Krakatoa erupted 97 years ago, and even back then the Dutch and British knew more about volcanoes, than we do today".
I was 6yrs old and living in the mountains of southwest Virginia. I remember that summer as being cold and remember the ash covering our cars.
The name Helen scard me too death ❤
if you have any interest in Volcanos then this is for you both the massive destruction and the nature of repair excellent watching!
Love the Northern Cascades. Planning on going to visit them again when this lockdown in England is over, So probably in 10 years 🌋😂, (Hopefully sooner than that). Always wanted to be a Volcanologist.
L-i am a civilian and have history in live for over 100 years of time never end world please communication in appropriate manner . thankyou echo Leena badewitz
Also see videos on Krakatoa and Tambora.
mkikm
I was sitting in a parking lot in Portland OR with my friend. Actually it was Beaverton, but it had just gotten dark and we could see something in the sky walking back to the house. We walked in and my friends mom said, St Helens just blew! It looked like a rocket or something had taken off or something from our view. I was 16 yrs old. Then the tragedy unfolded each day after. I'm 55 now, and worried about America in general!!
Crazy how something man made can be worse than what nature has thrown at us.
An excellent film. I remember when Mt St Helens erupted, when I was a in primary school. It was in the news all over the world and quite a shocking and memorable event.
I heard that Harry refused to leave his wife's grave that was near his cabin. He was mind settled about passing and hoped to be with his beloved.
I can only hope for his sake that his passing was swift, and too swift to be painful.
The mountain blew at 8:32am, and Harry was probably gone by 8:34. He went down with ship, like he wanted.
Maybe. Maybe he just was stubborn and did not believe scientists. History proved him wrong.
@@adamabele785 With all respects, I watched TV and heard him on the news stating that. What is more, he invited one inside and showed the 2 letters and pictures of Presidents that stayed there with him. His Daughter and grandson were doing well. He was living in a different decade and went fishing when the volcano blew. He was stubborn with being taken from his lifetime home and his beloved. That was not going to happen.
@@peterussell673 The mountain blew at 8:32, and Harry was atoms 15 seconds later.
I remember shovelling ash off my uncle's roof when I was 11yrs old... Time fly's
I was 12 years old in 1980 living in San Diego my father which I barely knew at the time wanted to take me on a trip to Seattle Washington where are my aunt and uncle live. My father was not going to allow a volcano and it’s ash stop us from our adventure, so we loaded up the motorcycle with our provisions and headed toward Seattle Washington, my dad knew The volcanic ash was going to present a problem,Therefore we stopped at a motorcycle shop and purchased every carburetor filter they had in stock, can’t remember how many but we used them all. And he provided me as well as himself with military grade Full face gas mask. It was a trip I’ll never forget.
I was 9 years old. We visited my grandmother in Wenatchee and Aunt and Uncle in Leavenworth in early June 1980. I can remember sweeping ash off her porch back then too. Yes sir, time does fly. I still have some ash my Uncle got from his bumper when he was at Moses Lake.
I distinctly remember a thin coating of ash covering my dad's cars a few days after the eruption... in Wichita, Kansas! And due to the enormous quantities of volcanic aerosols that were ejected into the atmosphere, the sunrises and sunsets were eerily spectacular for several weeks afterward.
Lefty Stratocaster Player, Kansas kid here too! I too remember the ash.
And I left a comment on the "30th Anniversary" documentary, that 3000 miles dead east, in the village of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada, we had fine grey ash over our vegetable garden & verandah
Ditto in mid-Missouri. I wondered why it was "snowing" in May.
I was a freshman in high school in west Texas, a few days after the eruption I noticed ash on our car, there wasn’t much but it was there.
@@Bozbaby103 p0
God bless Harry Truman! He knew what he was facing, he knew what a volcano could do - he knew what he would face if he had left - a homeless old man, withering away in a state supported old-folks home, if he was lucky. Harry chose for courage, for Life, so long as it shall be. Harry's choice is most admirable, given that it was a choice, not an accident!
I can still remember "the day the mountain blew". Where were you? What do you remember?
I don’t think Harry feared the eruption. I think Harry feared existence without the home he obviously loved. Harry would have rather died, than leave. I can respect that entirely.
Um yeah that's what he said Mystic Meg. Thanks for stating the obvious.
He obviously feared change, I wonder what his background story is, was he a loner or did he have children etc?
@@lauralishes1 lol girl.... savage. I'm stealing mystic meg though. I've never heard that before and I like it.
He had a wife and daughter. But they died 1974 ,I heard.
Harry wanted to join Edie.
Leaving would have felt like betrayal.
I get it.
I was born and raised, (and still live,) just North of there, in Everett, Washington.
Where "Weyerhauser," is headquartered.
In the shadows of Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier.
The next two peaks to the north on the Cascade mountain range section of the ring of fire.
It was a month and two weeks after my 4th. birthday when Mt. St. Helens blew, but I remember it VIVIDLY.
I remember the News reports every night, naturally, but mostly I remember ASH.
Ash that covered EVERYTHING around here.
Ash that hung in the air and made the full moon deep red at night, and caused the strangest orange-yellow sunsets.
You're a brave soul. I prefer less risky WI.
Nancy Thorgaard
well, I didn't exactly have a choice at that age.
but, once you've experienced most of your life up here, it doesn't matter where you go, you'll always come back.
The danger is only matched by the absolute beauty
Gotchya!
I was at NOAA HQ on Lake Union talking to the NOAA Ship Oceanographer just entering Shanghai, China at about 8AM on that morning of my brother's birthday. Roger, friend and relief radio watch, first asked me about MT. St. Helens. I had no information to give the crew (all from WA) until I closed up shop and heard KIRO AM radio news going crazy. I was living in North City (near Exit 220) at the time, my brother was in Aberdeen and cousin Connie, a flight steward for UA, was aboard a SeaTac flight bound flight near the explosion. Passengers asked her to take photos of the event on the premise that she would receive copies. Never happened.
This video captured the moments beautifully. I left the Pacific North Wet in '89 for warmer, more temperate climes. I still have family ties in Aberdeen, Bremerton, Centralia, Silverdale, and Tacoma.
I forgot to mention that, while fishing from a small boat on Silver Lake in '74, I watched the early morning fog lift from in front of the north face of Mt. St. Helens and creating a vista that still haunts my memories of that beautiful area to this day.