The bigger picture: Deaths, destruction and the future

While the ash from Mount St. Helens impacted the lives of North Idahoans and fell on 11 states as far away as Wisconsin, death and destruction were prominent near the volcano in western Washington.

Fifty-seven people were killed and 250 homes, 47 bridges, 15 miles of railways and 185 miles of highway were destroyed, making it the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in U.S. history causing an estimated $1 billion in damage.

Washington estimates about 7,000 big game animals died. The blast flattened 230 square miles of forests. State and federal agencies estimated that more than 2.4 million cubic yards of ash (900,000 tons) were removed from highways and airports at a cost of $2.2 million.

The Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument that was built afterward is an important research center, but some believe the devastated mountain deserves national park status along with Yosemite, Mount Rainier and the Grand Canyon.

"It's got unique and iconic resources and landscape that make it equal to (those parks)," said Sean Smith, northwest regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association.

Smith said making St. Helens a national park would raise its profile, draw more visitors and provide a dedicated stream of money.

Mark Plotkin, tourism director for Cowlitz County, said the past several years haven't been the brightest for the monument, which has seen limited resources, reduced services, the permanent closure of one visitors center - Coldwater Ridge - and the state takeover of another.

"Right now, we're doing the minimum necessary to keep the doors open," said Plotkin, who favors national park status.

Advocates for park status cite a University of Washington report that found St. Helens got about $3.26 per acre in federal dollars from the Forest Service in 2007, while other monuments within the National Park Service received three to six times more money on a per-acre basis.

A congressional committee spent more than a year exploring, in part, whether St. Helens should become the state's fourth national park. Last month, it recommended improvements for the monument, including better road connections, overnight lodging and recreational access for a wide variety of visitors.

However, it recommended that the volcano remain a national monument rather than a park, but urged that it be given dedicated funding so money can't be used for other Forest Service needs such as fighting wildfires.

The eruption, which occurred 30 years ago on Tuesday, led to other memorable events.

Harry R. Truman, who was 83 and had lived near the mountain for 54 years, became famous when he decided not to evacuate before the impending blast, despite repeated pleas by authorities.

Another victim was 30-year-old volcanologist David Johnston, who was stationed on Coldwater Ridge. Moments before that area was hit by a hot ash cloud, Johnston radioed his last words: "Vancouver! Vancouver! This is it!"

The bodies of Truman nor Johnston were never found.

A film crew was dropped by helicopter on St. Helens five days after the blast to document the destruction. Their compasses spun in circles, causing them to became lost.

A second eruption occurred two days later, but the crew was rescued by National Guard helicopter pilots. Their film, "The Eruption of Mount St. Helens," became a popular documentary.