Epic cleanup following Mount St. Helen's blast

Following Mount St. Helens’ cataclysmic blast, region struggled with an epic cleanup.

Section:Gallery

Sat., May 16, 2020

You could rake it, shovel it or use a broom but the piles of ash from the eruption of Mt. St. Helens continued to clog the streets and sewers of Spokane for months after May 18, 1980.

Christopher Anderson The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Downtown Spokane, Wash. was covered in ash from the Mt. St. Helens eruption.

The Spokesman-Review Photo Archive Sr
Chris Pederson cleaned off the sidewalk at Indiana and Wall in Spokane in the days following the eruption of Mount St. Helens in May of 1980.

The Spokesman-Review Photo Archive Sr
Keith Domina took a break from cleaning up ash from the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens in this May 19, 1980 photo in Ritzville, Wash., one of the hardest hit towns in the aftermath of the eruption.

Jim Shelton Sr
A crew dressed to clean up ash from Mount St. Helens arrives on May 24, 1980, nearly a week after the eruption.

The Spokesman-Review Photo Archive Sr
Jamie White and Keitz Witcher wore masks in Spokane two days after the Mt. St. Helens eruption, May 20, 1980. The kids enjoyed the game of bandit or "bad guys" with everyone running around with masked faces.

Jim Shelton Sr
Al Titus readied Lewis & Clark High School Hunter Field House as Red Cross disaster center.

The Spokesman-Review Photo Archive Sr
People wore masks to protect themselves from the ash from Mt. St. Helens.

The Spokesman-Review Photo Archive Sr
Two Ladies in Odessa, Wash. with masks and brooms were prepared to save their grdens and homes. With its fine texture and easy transport by wind, the ash moved from one house to another. Many found that cleaning was an exercise in frustration.

Phil Schofield Sr
Filters by the truckload flew into Spokane, Wash. The hottest item besides masks for humans was filters for vehicles. Several filters were needed just to get across town or drive out into the countryside.

J. Bart Rayniak The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Abraham Lincoln was ready with a mask in downtown Spokane, Wash.

Phil Schofield Sr
The ash from the Mt. St. Helens eruption blanketed the region.

Jim Shelton Sr
Ash didn't stop a beer run.

The Spokesman-Review Photo Archive Sr
The ash from the Mt. St. Helens eruption blanket the region.

Jim Shelton Sr