The Forest That Was

Picture dense fir forests beside pristine lakes and streams, home to countless species of plants and animals. This was Mount St. Helens, a popular vacation destination for campers and fishermen, and a place of extraordinary natural splendor.

Living in this forest were:

• Large mammals such as cougars, elk, deer and bears
• Smaller animals like chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits and raccoons
• Eagles, Steller's jays, woodpeckers, owls, wrens, sparrows and crows
• Salmon, various trout and other fish
• Reptiles, insects and amphibians like newts, salamanders and frogs
• Ferns, salal, huckleberries, and hundreds of other plant and shrub species
• Native trees like Douglas-fir, pacific silver fir, noble fir, western hemlock and western red cedar

Click the play button above to see what Mt. St. Helens looked like in this clip from "Trees and Homes", a 1941 film sponsored by Weyerhaeuser and produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, in which this "silent sentinel of the ages" is seen from Spirit Lake.