NEW - Vancouver, Vancouver, This Is It: The Mount St. Helens Story

Shane Hewitt and The Nightshift · May 15, 2026 · 8m

Mount St. Helens erupted 46 years ago this weekend, and the mountain did not blow its top. It blew its side, and people as far away as Lethbridge, Alberta felt what that meant.

Harry R. Truman was 83 years old and refused to leave Spirit Lake Lodge. He believed the volcano would blow straight up, not sideways. He had said they couldn't pull him out with a mule team. He and his 16 cats were buried under 150 feet of volcanic debris. His body is believed to still be on the ridge that now bears his name.

USGS scientist David Johnston was observing from the mountain when it went. His last four…