Mount Saint Helens. Photograph of Spirit Lake post eruption of Mount Saint Helens, dated 1980.
On May 18, 1980, the eruption of Mount Saint Helens destroyed plant and animal life in the surrounding 230 square miles of forest and killed 57 people. The eruption and the subsequent establishment of Mount Saint Helens National Monument transformed the landscape, and serves as a reminder of how powerful natural forces can be. This photograph displays the mountain in the background post eruption, when much of Gifford-Pinchot National Forest was buried in debris.
The National Archives at Seattle holds records from more than 45 national forests and three regional offices in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, and Montana in Record Group 95: Records of the U.S. Forest Service. Other records related to the eruption of Mount Saint Helens at our facility include: reports and radio logs of search and rescue efforts, relief coordination with other federal agencies, and a recreation map and guide of Spirit Lake from prior to the eruption.
Photograph of Spirit Lake post eruption of Mount Saint Helens, dated 1980. National Archives Identifer: 6017993
View and download this photograph of Mount Saint Helens on the National Archives Catalog. This record is one example of the many records from the U.S. Forest Service at the National Archives at Seattle, WA. You can explore more records held at the National Archives at Seattle through the National Archives Catalog or by visiting the National Archives at Seattle. This record is located within Record Group 95: Records of the U.S. Forest Service, Gifford-Pinchot National Forest, Series: Mount Saint Helens National Monument Records, 1980–1989. Many of the records in this collection have yet to be digitized. We encourage researchers to visit us onsite to explore these records and learn more about the archival collections held at the National Archives at Seattle.