Mount St. Helens is an active volcano in Scamanina County, Washington, only 96 miles south of Seattle and 5o miles northeast of Portland. The volcano got its name from the British diplomat Lord St. Helens, a friend of the explorer George Vancouver, who did an expedition in the area in the late 18th century. Mount St. Helens is a part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc which joins the Pacific Ring of Fire.
The volcano had its most recent major eruption in 1980. It was the deadliest and the most destructive volcanic eruption in the history of United States, causing the death of 57 people. 250 homes, 47 bridges, 15 miles of railroad and 185 miles of highway were destroyed.
Mount St. Helens is of extraordinary significance for the Native American tribes from the region. According to their legend, there were two brothers Pahto and Wy’east, sons of the chief of all gods. They were traveling down Columbia River in search of the most beautiful land. Eventually, they reached the area that’s now called The Dalles and started a quarrel about who’s going to settle first.
Their father, the chief of gods, shot two arrows to give them separate directions. Pahto followed the arrow to the north and settled there while Wy’east followed the arrow to the south. Their father built the Bridge of Gods so they can meet whenever they want. The two brothers fell in love with the same maiden named Loowit, and she couldn’t decide which one she prefers. They fought over her so brutally that they destroyed the bridge. As a punishment, their father turned the three of them into mountains. Wy’east was transformed into today’s Mount Hood, Pahto was turned into Mount Adams, and Loowit became Mount St. Helens.
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