Man Wants Volcano-Wrecked Park Rebuilt Son Of Man Who Donated Land Pushes Toutle Site Redevelopment

Trying to keep the memory of his late father alive, Chet Gardner wants to see Harry Gardner Park rebuilt.

He is campaigning to get Cowlitz County commissioners to redevelop the park destroyed by the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.

The volcano’s blast sent a wave of mud down the South Fork of the Toutle River and buried Harry Gardner Park. Since then, grass and trees - some already a foot in diameter - have grown in the area.

“Here is a good piece of ground,” said Chet Gardner, of Toutle. “It’s really surprising me that it’s coming back this fast.”

At Gardner’s urging, the Silver Lake Grange passed a resolution this month asking the county to redevelop the park to its “original splendor.”

But two obstacles stand in the way.

First, county commissioners must come up with the money to rebuild the park. Then they must be convinced that a redeveloped park would not fall victim again to a natural disaster.

Gardner noted the site was not flooded during major storms in November 1995 and February 1996. And the river has changed course since 1980, moving to the southwest and effectively doubling the size of the park site, he said.

“I thought it was worth a try getting the county involved because we lost all that recreation,” he said.

For many decades, outdoors people had informally used the area east of Castle Rock. In fact, it’s still a summer swimming spot and unofficial campground, though there are no recreational facilities.