Table of Contents
The
Lassen Peak Eruptions & Their Lingering Legacy Vivid recollections and
eyewitness accounts of an active volcano by
Alan Wayne Willendrup
1914-1915 Lassen Peak volcanic eruption and history
Chapter One
Geological Background
Lassen Peak 2
Volcanoes 3
The Cascade Volcanic Arc and the Cascade Range 5
Volcanic Activity in the Lassen Region 5
Recent Geological Activity 6
Cinder Cone Eruption 8
Chapter Two
Enter the First and Second Americans
Initial Migration 9
Tribal Organization in the Lassen Area 9
The Hat Creek Indians, Their Customs, and Their Legends 10
Initial Native American and Euro-American Contact 11
Peter Lassen 12
A New Name 13
Native American and Euro-American Clashes in the
Region 14
Settlements and Enterprises 14
Chapter Three
1914: The Reawakening Giant
Attacking the Myths 17
Background to Lassen Peak’s 1914 Outburst 22
Subtle Forebodings 22
May 30, 1914: Reawakening 24
What Happened 26
Initial Reports and Growing Curiosity 28
Confusion, Chaos, and Contradictions 29
June 14, 1914: Lance Graham’s Close Call 34
Newspaper Madness 39
The “Experts” Have Their Day 40
The Legend Grows 41
Commerical Exploitation of Lassen Peak 44
The Remarkable Mr. Diller 46
The Novelty Wears Thin 49
Chapter Four
1915: A Mighty Gasp
Not All Was Quiet 51
Geographic Setting 53
May 19, 1915: Fireworks Begin 56
Harvey Wilcox Cheats Death 58
Close Call For Elmer Sorahan 59
Spreading the Alarm! 63
Dawn’s Painful Light 66
A New Batch of Theories 67
What Happened 69
May 22, 1915: The Great Hot Blast 71
The “Terror-Stricken” Valley 77
The Lighter Side 78
Viewing the Destruction 79
Assessing the True Damage 83
What About the Mountain? 91
Chapter Five
The Lingering Legacy
A Shadow of Itself 93
A Volcano Becomes a National Park 94
The Forgotten People 95
The Mount St. Helens Factor 96
The Controversial Closing of the Manzanita Lake
Campground 97
Could Lassen Peak Erupt Again? 98
Lassen Peak Loop Highway 100
Afterword 103
Sources 107
Name Index 112
