Case file · Folklore / legend
Loowit, the fire mountain
In Klickitat and Cowlitz tradition Mount St. Helens (Loowit or Lawetlat'la) is a fiery being; the 18 May 1980 eruption, which killed 57 people, brought the old stories back into print.
1980 CE · 46.19, -122.19 · status: legend
The account
Loowit is the woman in the Bridge of the Gods story. Local tradition also warned against Spirit Lake, at the mountain's foot. Lodge owner Harry R. Truman, who refused to leave and was buried by the blast, became a folk hero.