Harry R. Truman waves goodbye to a helicopter crew after refusing his final chance to evacuate Mount St. Helens. Three days later, on May 18, 1980, the volcano erupted, burying Truman and his lodge beneath an estimated 150 feet of volcanic debris. Harry R. Truman was the 83-year-old owner of the Mount St. Helens Lodge on Spirit Lake, where he had lived for decades. A World War I veteran with no relation to President Harry S. Truman, he became nationally known after refusing repeated evacuation orders when the volcano showed signs of erupting in 1980. Despite pleas from friends, officials, and helicopter crews, Truman chose to stay with his cats and the lodge he loved. On the morning of May 18, 1980, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake triggered the collapse of Mount St. Helens’ north flank, unleashing a massive landslide and lateral blast that buried Truman, his lodge, and the surrounding area beneath volcanic debris. His body was never recovered. The eruption killed 57 people and permanently transformed the landscape around Spirit Lake.
