Harry Truman and Mount St. Helens | KATU In The Archives 

I wish I could go back in time and stay at his lodge, and listen to him tell stories all night and day long. Rest easy Truman!

This guy was what I can only call a genuine character. I could listen to him all day.

RIP Harry R. Truman (1896-1980)

Brave man. I do respect people of his generation.

Better than dying in a hospital bed.

I knew Harry as a young kid in the late 60's, early 70's. He was a character. My mom knew him from her days at Y-Camp across the lake. We'd rent rowboats from him.

You know I just used to think he was a crazy old man, but I understand now. When you lose a mate from so many years it must be just absolute hell. That place he lived in was his fortress, his last stand.

Crazy to think that Truman must've been sitting in that chair drinking and waiting before that mountain wiped him out. RIP Truman. Hope you reunited with your wife.

We have stayed at Harrys and fished the lake for many years. We talked to Harry a few days before he lost his life, he talked a big game but was honestly scared of some of those bigger quakes, but he truly thought nothing was going to happen to him. None of us thought it was going to be as big and violent as it was, had Harry actually known what was about to happen he would have stayed with family. I was only about 20 to 25 miles away when it erupted, it was so loud, its hard to compare it to anything. The ground shook and the sky turned black so quickly. Its a shame so man people had to die, some were completely avoidable, unfortunately some were arrogant. It was ridiculous that so many people gave geologists and government officials such a hard time for closing down the mountain, then when it erupted and destroyed everything in its path, those same people blamed the same officals for not doing more or making the safe area bigger. Its frightening to think that was a small volcano compared to the super ones, it was a once in a lifetime experience that i don't want to repeat.

At least Harry Truman got to die where he wanted to be. Not all get what they want.

I remember as a kid seeing the ash plume when the volcano erupted. I remember thinking poor Harry.

God Love Ya, Harry Truman! May you and your wife be in heaven together right now, looking down on your mountain, enjoying a good glass of hooch! Rest in peace, Sir! xo

I don't think Harry would have coped well with the devastation of his lodge and the entire area. Im glad he never had to see the effects of it beyond the few seconds in which the eruption overtook him.

Harry must of accepted when the wind was 300 mph and the wall was 200ft hi ready to hit him. Guys like this come along only once in a lifetime. What a piece of work i hope he rested and in peace.

good thing we got to get all these interviews on film, so we all got to know Harry, so apart of him will live for on in our memories. world could sure use some more Harry Trumans right now

The aerial footage at 1:52 I believe was filmed by geologist Dorothy Stoffel, literally a few minutes before the eruption. She and her husband chartered a small plane to view the mountain, and they were right over it when it blew. The pilot nose dived to gain speed and turned due south to avoid the eruption. If you haven't seen her interview about this, you really should look it up. Incredible story

Saying it would never take him and the lodge out...reminds me of the unsinkable titanic..

At that age, with that life, I think most of us would go out of Truman. Especially after considering what the end result of the lodge and spirit lake was. He would have been absolutely devastated.

He got lucky believe it or not. He would have died before he even realized it. It has been determined that he died from heat shock within one second of the eruption which is less time than for him to comprehend. He doesn't even know he's dead to this day. It's like he never existed.

He seemed like a really cool old dude. RIP.

It was really Harry Truman vs Mt St Helens. We all know Harry lost the fight, but he won the war

I respect his choice.

I find it hilarious they talked him into leaving… only to thank the school kiddos that tried to talk him out of staying and head right back home! True legend

God, he was cool. A different generation.

THE MAN, THE LAKE, & HIS MOUNTAIN! THE MOUNTAIN & LEGEND STILL STAND!

Harry once said that Mt. Saint Helens was a part of him and he a part of it. God Bless him , he was right.

I cried watching this video. I hope he got to see his wife again in heaven.

It was almost poetic that it erupted the way it did and the mountain literally fell on top of him.

Lots of things have been said about Harry R. Truman. Me, I reckon he was a very determined fellow who departed from this world exactly on his terms. I do wonder if he was outside at 8.32am on that fateful day and saw that pyroclastic flow hurtling towards him and his lodge and if so what thoughts went through his mind.

“I’m a religious buzzard too. I don’t know what anybodys gonna do to get in that GODDAMN tunnel too.”

Nothing crazy about ya buddy. We need more men like you, especially in todays world.

Just proves God is real. Truman said, "now way that mountain can reach me if it blows". I'm sure he regretted that when he seen it was all coming his way. God will humble the proud.

He didn’t expect the entire north side of the mountain to collapse…

God Bless America!

My mom and dad grew up in Longview and Kelso. They knew Harry and his wife. I am looking at a picture of my mom at Spirit Lake Lodge from about 1944-45. I spent a few weeks there myself back in the 1970's.

I remember this guy. God love him. I was in Vancouver Canada & we heard or sensed it with Helen's went. He was the first thing i Thought of.

RIP Harry

“They know if They took me outta here I’d ruin em, if I ever got to town I’d ruin them just sure as hell, I’d break em’ up”

I remember they made a song about him too

Beautiful

It's still your mountain Truman! 😊🎉 🌄

It had to be cold in his house... you could see his breath.

They don’t make men like him anymore. Real American.

I’ll always wonder what Harry’s last thoughts were as it blew , if he regretted not leaving or at peace with it ?

"I might be old but im kind of cute about it"

Boy was he completely wrong about that mountain...

Seems like a good guy to sit around and listen tell stories. He underestimated the power of what was coming. Yet, he went out the way he wanted. RIP old fella! He's back with his wife now.

I was in that area of the country just a few weeks ago,,,, And I saw a piece of him,,, He’s all over if you Look for him….

He knew he was dying with the lodge and lake. In a short time Harry Truman will be talked about like Paul Bunyan, he’s a legend going down with the mountain.

I told my wife if we get an asteroid strike and knowing I'm not gonna survive I'm getting a half gallon of whiskey and a lawn chair and sit in my drive a go down with my ship...RIP sir...

He definitely went out in a blast.

A TOAST TO HARRY! GOD BLESS! GODSPEED!

good lord that mountain came DIRECTLY down on him.. yall should go look at satellite imagery from nasa before n after :p

Same haircut I got

He was the northwest’s version of Jack Wingate

A tangible link to the twilight of the wild west, in a way. The 1920s were wild here, and it took a good while for us to be proper "civilized." To think a man could just toss up some timbers and open a lodge without any paperwork lol. Leased from the owners of the West, the railroad barons. Truman was a real fella, no doubt. He's missed, but it came swift for him and would have been but a moment or two of horror, if any, and he wanted to go deep down inside himself. Yeah he'd have fought if he could, maybe a thief or a robber, but the mountain? Yeah, he fought it by bunkering down, trying to outwit nature. But he was okay with going, he knew it was coming, or he suspected it despite his hilarious descriptions of the mountain erupting and "not having enough stuff" in it. Funny. He went with his boots on to be with his Edie, and their romance was one for the history books.

“Spirit Lodge buried under 30 feet of mud”. It’s more lime 150 feet of mud.

The John Deere got free advertisement.

God Bless Harry he stood his ground!

Tell me you're an alcoholic without telling me 😂

He was pretty lively fella for 84 years old.. I respect him for staying but after watching this, I really wish he had evacuated.

This is the problem with know-it-all's. The pyroclastic flow traveled at 450mph!

His assessment of the geographic situation…… The man did not understand the force he was up against.

With hair like that, you’re either crazy or genius… or most likely, both!

He could have went to his cave and got trapped in there, we will never know.

YA! NEVER KNOW HARRY MAY HAVE MADE IT TO HIS CAVE! AND STILL LIVIN' IN THERE EAT'IN THOSE RATIONS!

It's ma property keep off 🌋

I can’t remember what this anchor’s name was?

Norm McDonald's muse

He was damnd spritely for his age ...I need to drink more...

Good way to die. And it would have been quick. It's a good thing he didn't know how fast pyroclastic flows are.

Harry was the first sociopath i never met

Stupid is as Stupid does. He was an ignorant old man & I thought the same thing as a 7 year old in 1980 when he was saying he wasn't leaving.

He is amazing, welcome to when men weren't gender confused.

Blatant insurance fraud attempt Respect the ingenuity and patience.. Prayers were answered?

I wonder why his family didn't drag his azz out of there. I'm sure he had insurance on his property. He could have rebuilt elsewhere.

Americas mt. Vesuvius mt.st.helens like pliney the elder harry truman stubborn

What a man. Compare him to the "heroes" of today; "Khardashians, Donald Trump, Kanye West, Tom Cruise, slick Mega Church preachers and you can see where we are at as a society.

He was stupid, things are just things, rather live and keep the memory of my lost loved ones alive a while longer. But its his choice to make, and I'm glad he was allowed to make it rather than forced to make the smarter choice.

What a total fool hairy was.

He actually had mean looking eyes. But anyway he got what he wished for.

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He would have undoubtedly supported TRUMP 2024.

Just proves god is not real

Harry trueman not much of a loss as he was plain stupid and they tried to help him but he refused any help just plain stubborn.