The Legend behind Mount St. Helens

Indian Legend of Mount St. Helens Eruption

Before Mt. St. Helens blew its top is was a beautifully symmetric rounded snow-capped mountain that stood between two powerfully jagged peaks Mt. Hood ( which Indians called Wy'east) and Mt. Adams ( which Indians called Klickitat). According to one Indian legend, the mountain was once a beautiful maiden, "Loowit".   When two sons of the Great Spirit "Sahale" fell in love with her, she could not choose between them. The two braves, Wyeast and Klickitat fought over her, burying villages and forests in the process ( hurling rocks as they erupted?). Sahale was furious. He killed the three lovers and erected a mighty mountain peak where each fell. Because Loowit was beautiful, her mountain (Mount St. Helens) was a beautiful, symmetrical cone of dazzling white. Wyeast (Mount Hood) lifts his head in pride, but Klickitat (Mount Adams) wept to see the beautiful maiden wrapped in snow, so he bends his head as he gazes on St. Helens.  This is one of many indian legends involving Mount St. Helens.




Many native american tales foretold that the jealousy between the three mountains would lead to the great eruption of Mount St. Helens causing her to be destroyed. Some say that this prediction was due to the many small eruptions and smoke that native americans could see coming from the mountain over time. 


The local Indians and early settlers in the then sparsely populated region witnessed the occasional violent outbursts of Mount St. Helens. The volcano was particularly restless in the mid-19th century, when it was intermittently active for at least a 26-year span from 1831 to 1857. Some scientists suspect that Mount St. Helens also was active sporadically during the three decades before 1831, including a major explosive eruption in 1800. Although minor steam explosions may have occurred in 1898, 1903, and 1921, the mountain gave little or no evidence of being a volcanic hazard for more than a century after 1857. Consequently, the majority of 20th-century residents and visitors thought of Mount St. Helens not as a menace, but as a serene, beautiful mountain playground teeming with wildlife and available for leisure activities throughout the year. At the base of the volcano's northern flank, Spirit Lake, with its clear, refreshing water and wooded shores, was especially popular as a recreational area for hiking, camping, fishing, swimming and boating.

The tranquility of the Mount St. Helens region was shattered in the spring of 1980, however, when the volcano stirred from its long repose, shook, swelled, and exploded back to life. The local people rediscovered that they had an active volcano in their midst, and millions of people in North America were reminded that the active--and potentially dangerous--volcanoes of the United States are not restricted to Alaska and Hawaii.

HELL HATH NO FURRY .......... 

It will be an adventure to see this area nearly 30 years after it exploded, to see how mother nature can reclaim land once destroyed. The adventure begins in just a few days!

Parts of this blog post were taken directly from http://mountsthelens.com/history-1.html