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Truman of St. Helens: The Man and His Mountain
At 8:32am, Sunday, May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted in Washington State with the explosive force of more than 20 million tons of TNT. It remains the most deadly and economically destructive volcanic eruption in the history of the United States. When author Shirley Rosen first heard the news, her immediate thoughts were of her 83-year-old uncle, Harry Truman, who owned the 50-acre Mt. St. Helens Lodge resort on the shores of Spirit Lake. Harry was his given name, but if anyone asked he'd say, "Just call me Truman." Drawing from interviews and memories of working at Truman's lodge, Shirley Rosen tells the story of this salty curmudgeon who became an American folk hero during the eruption of Mount St. Helens. When the mountain gave warnings of impending danger, Truman defiantly refused to leave his home of 55 years. His rugged independence, hard-nosed business sense, and infectious humor embodied the spirit of the nation, capturing its attention and its heart. In the end, the mountain he loved had the final word. Truman's story remains a Northwest original and is forever embedded within the dynamic slopes of Mount St. Helens.
224 pages, Paperback
First published August 21, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 23, 2026
Truman of St. Helens; The Man and His Mountain by Shirley Rosen:
My wife and I recently took a trip to Washington State and we had the privilege to see Olympic National Park and experience the wonderful nature and geography of the Pacific Northwest. Some time ago, I found a documentary on the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 and was struck by the story of an eccentric, wily old man by the name of Harry R. Truman (almost like the President). Mr. Truman had lived on the mountain for years and ran a lodge that he refused to leave He became a sensation and a folk hero during the weeks leading up to the major eruption. The news media, both tv and print, swarmed him, he visited schools, wrote letters, and even a folk song was eventually written about him. Some time ago, I marked this book on Goodreads and felt that due to my recent trip, it would finally be a good time to read it.
I am very glad I did. Shirley Rosen, the author, was the niece of Mr. Truman, and spent one summer in the 1940s working at the lodge. She has a story to tell, and tells it incredibly well. Ms. Rosen is a great writer and this book set out to do what she meant for it to. The book recalls the life of the enigmatic Truman through her own memories and the memories of others. Truman was both mean and kind, frugal and generous, and also one who loved being both a recluse and being in the spotlight. He was a complicated person, like so many of us are.
Unsurprisingly for me at least, Truman came from West Virginia. As an Appalachian American myself, I will be the first to tell you that it doesn't surprise me at all that Truman refused to leave his mountain, we Appalachians are some of the most stubborn people on earth and love our mountains. Also, he didn't trust doctors or the government, which is very par for the course for our people.
Harry R. Truman was born in 1896 in Ivydale, West Virginia. Truman's family moved from West Virginia to Washington State when he was a boy. They were loggers in search of work and found it out west. Washington at that time was a new and largely untamed state. Truman was a good athlete and a mischievous teen who chased girls and drove fast. He went to a small high school of only a few students, but graduated and played baseball. He would serve his country in World War I, surviving a shipwreck from a German U-boat.
Sadly, fittingly, and hauntingly, the part of Washington where Truman grew up is under a lake, so much of his life has been erased in one way or another. Truman would move to Mount St. Helens in the 1930s and eventually started the lodge on Spirit Lake. He would marry three times and only have one daughter. The author of this book was his niece through his third wife, who predeceased him in death despite being quite a bit younger.
Truman was a wild man, one that you can only find in America. He drank whiskey his whole life, sped like a demon on the mountain roads in his 1956 pink Cadillac, fought off bears, was robbed and injured at one point, and befriended railroad execs (the railroad let him lease the land his lodge was on) and even a Supreme Court Justice. Truly, Truman's spirit is the embodiment of rugged American individualism and that is what made him (and continues to make him) such a interesting character.
He ran his lodge like a workhorse, shewing people off for various reasons if necessary. He was a self-made man and his lodge was his whole world. Surprisingly, he did travel quite a bit more than you'd think, even going cross county at least once. According to his friends, when his third wife died, he was forever changed and more reclusive and stubborn. He lived with fifteen cats at the lodge, and mostly kept to himself.
When Mount St. Helens began to erupt in March of 1980 he was afraid, but took on a brave mask for the media that interviewed him. He became fatalistic and refused to leave the mountain, stating it was a part of him and he was a part of it. He seemed to think, or at least tell people, that he would be fine and the lodge wouldn't be affected. What is most unbelievable is that he even left four days before the fatal major eruption to visit a school in Oregon!
When Mount St. Helens blew, Harry R Truman, his cats, his lodge, and his entire world went with it in a matter of seconds. At 8:32 AM PST on May 18th, 1980 the mountain erupted with the force of 50 million tons of TNT. The pyroclastic flow destroyed everything in its path and buried Truman's lodge under 150 feet of smoldering debris. Truman died instantly and quickly, although it was a heck of a way to go. I wonder what Truman thought in his final minutes and seconds, it must have been terrifying.
Take some time to look at Mount St. Helens before and after. It never recovered and will never be the same again. The area around it, particularly Spirit Lake (where Truman lived) was beautiful and pristine, quite possibly some of the most beautiful land on earth. At the time of this writing, the eruption occurred forty-six years ago. That is a long time, but there are still many people alive who remember the event and likely even met Truman so I suppose it isn't too far out of human memory, at leat not yet. The eruption and the story of Truman is classically American, though hauntingly sad and beautiful at the same time. If anything, it is emblematic of nature and man's complicated relationship with one another.
My wife and I recently took a trip to Washington State and we had the privilege to see Olympic National Park and experience the wonderful nature and geography of the Pacific Northwest. Some time ago, I found a documentary on the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 and was struck by the story of an eccentric, wily old man by the name of Harry R. Truman (almost like the President). Mr. Truman had lived on the mountain for years and ran a lodge that he refused to leave He became a sensation and a folk hero during the weeks leading up to the major eruption. The news media, both tv and print, swarmed him, he visited schools, wrote letters, and even a folk song was eventually written about him. Some time ago, I marked this book on Goodreads and felt that due to my recent trip, it would finally be a good time to read it.
I am very glad I did. Shirley Rosen, the author, was the niece of Mr. Truman, and spent one summer in the 1940s working at the lodge. She has a story to tell, and tells it incredibly well. Ms. Rosen is a great writer and this book set out to do what she meant for it to. The book recalls the life of the enigmatic Truman through her own memories and the memories of others. Truman was both mean and kind, frugal and generous, and also one who loved being both a recluse and being in the spotlight. He was a complicated person, like so many of us are.
Unsurprisingly for me at least, Truman came from West Virginia. As an Appalachian American myself, I will be the first to tell you that it doesn't surprise me at all that Truman refused to leave his mountain, we Appalachians are some of the most stubborn people on earth and love our mountains. Also, he didn't trust doctors or the government, which is very par for the course for our people.
Harry R. Truman was born in 1896 in Ivydale, West Virginia. Truman's family moved from West Virginia to Washington State when he was a boy. They were loggers in search of work and found it out west. Washington at that time was a new and largely untamed state. Truman was a good athlete and a mischievous teen who chased girls and drove fast. He went to a small high school of only a few students, but graduated and played baseball. He would serve his country in World War I, surviving a shipwreck from a German U-boat.
Sadly, fittingly, and hauntingly, the part of Washington where Truman grew up is under a lake, so much of his life has been erased in one way or another. Truman would move to Mount St. Helens in the 1930s and eventually started the lodge on Spirit Lake. He would marry three times and only have one daughter. The author of this book was his niece through his third wife, who predeceased him in death despite being quite a bit younger.
Truman was a wild man, one that you can only find in America. He drank whiskey his whole life, sped like a demon on the mountain roads in his 1956 pink Cadillac, fought off bears, was robbed and injured at one point, and befriended railroad execs (the railroad let him lease the land his lodge was on) and even a Supreme Court Justice. Truly, Truman's spirit is the embodiment of rugged American individualism and that is what made him (and continues to make him) such a interesting character.
He ran his lodge like a workhorse, shewing people off for various reasons if necessary. He was a self-made man and his lodge was his whole world. Surprisingly, he did travel quite a bit more than you'd think, even going cross county at least once. According to his friends, when his third wife died, he was forever changed and more reclusive and stubborn. He lived with fifteen cats at the lodge, and mostly kept to himself.
When Mount St. Helens began to erupt in March of 1980 he was afraid, but took on a brave mask for the media that interviewed him. He became fatalistic and refused to leave the mountain, stating it was a part of him and he was a part of it. He seemed to think, or at least tell people, that he would be fine and the lodge wouldn't be affected. What is most unbelievable is that he even left four days before the fatal major eruption to visit a school in Oregon!
When Mount St. Helens blew, Harry R Truman, his cats, his lodge, and his entire world went with it in a matter of seconds. At 8:32 AM PST on May 18th, 1980 the mountain erupted with the force of 50 million tons of TNT. The pyroclastic flow destroyed everything in its path and buried Truman's lodge under 150 feet of smoldering debris. Truman died instantly and quickly, although it was a heck of a way to go. I wonder what Truman thought in his final minutes and seconds, it must have been terrifying.
Take some time to look at Mount St. Helens before and after. It never recovered and will never be the same again. The area around it, particularly Spirit Lake (where Truman lived) was beautiful and pristine, quite possibly some of the most beautiful land on earth. At the time of this writing, the eruption occurred forty-six years ago. That is a long time, but there are still many people alive who remember the event and likely even met Truman so I suppose it isn't too far out of human memory, at leat not yet. The eruption and the story of Truman is classically American, though hauntingly sad and beautiful at the same time. If anything, it is emblematic of nature and man's complicated relationship with one another.
July 28, 2022
I really loved this book, growing up in Washington my whole life (the daughter of an avid outdoor enthusiast and hunter) i grew up learning a lot of what Washington has to offer. And remember visiting St. helens in the 90s (and being blown away at the deviation)
I went up to st. helens this year and hiked Harry’s Ridge (happy to see so much life there now) and always remembered the story of Harry but wanted to know more. And man, this book made me laugh and cry and i have a new hero!! 5 stars (maybe i’m biased because i read this book in the beautiful places that harry lived and loved) Im grateful to have got to know Truman <3
I went up to st. helens this year and hiked Harry’s Ridge (happy to see so much life there now) and always remembered the story of Harry but wanted to know more. And man, this book made me laugh and cry and i have a new hero!! 5 stars (maybe i’m biased because i read this book in the beautiful places that harry lived and loved) Im grateful to have got to know Truman <3
April 8, 2025
The author is Truman's niece Shirley. She did a great job on this book. My dad used to go up to the lodge when he was young.
July 1, 2022
"As I approached the window at the landing of the long stairway to the main floor of the lodge, Truman's bellowing became louder. Then I could see him, outside, bamboo rake in hand, clad only in his Jockey shorts. He was using the rake to beat the backside of a black bear, which was gorging himself on the remains of Auntie Eddie's delicious trout dinner. Large paws clawed through the trash strewn out of the garbage cans the bear had toppled. The bear paid no attention to Truman's whacking as splintered shafts of the rake flew around the parking lot."
"Truman came up the back stairs banging his feet as he always did, to release the dirt from his boots. His large hands smoothed down his thinning sandy brown hair as he entered the kitchen and said, 'Hi kid'. Walking to the stove, he leaned down and rested his chin on Auntie Eddie's shoulder, patting her bottom as he peered over to see what she was cooking."
"Truman introduced him to his long-standing game of stealing rock from the Forest Service's gravel pit. They'd take truckloads at a time, racing one another to see who could load his truck first, and use the rock on their pathways and parking lots. They never got caught. Their last winter together at Spirit Lake, they even came up with a grand plan to steal an entire 20-foot pile of gravel."
"Spirit Lake and Mount St. Helens are part of me-they're mine-they're as much a part of me as my arms and legs. If I left the mountain and the lake, I'd just fold up and die."
"Truman came up the back stairs banging his feet as he always did, to release the dirt from his boots. His large hands smoothed down his thinning sandy brown hair as he entered the kitchen and said, 'Hi kid'. Walking to the stove, he leaned down and rested his chin on Auntie Eddie's shoulder, patting her bottom as he peered over to see what she was cooking."
"Truman introduced him to his long-standing game of stealing rock from the Forest Service's gravel pit. They'd take truckloads at a time, racing one another to see who could load his truck first, and use the rock on their pathways and parking lots. They never got caught. Their last winter together at Spirit Lake, they even came up with a grand plan to steal an entire 20-foot pile of gravel."
"Spirit Lake and Mount St. Helens are part of me-they're mine-they're as much a part of me as my arms and legs. If I left the mountain and the lake, I'd just fold up and die."
March 8, 2021
I think the author did a wonderful job of telling us about the life and legend of her Uncle Truman. I feel like I know and understand him. I do understand why he didn't leave the mountain, am sure he thought about it often. Maybe it's easier for a person who's older and becoming more fragile to relate to losing so many that you love, your spouse, your friends and you don't enjoy your life as much. You're home though, your body becomes weaker, your experiencing falls as Truman did. He knew time was passing swiftly, he was getting older and he didn't like the changes so much from how life used to be, he was ready.
RIP Truman
RIP Truman
June 16, 2022
Great Book, I now understand who Harry Truman was, his goals and why he did what he did. Harry Loved his mountain and that was his home and his life. His story if fascinating and there are things in this book that I have never heard or seen outside of it it is a wealth of information. I would recommend this book to anybody and everybody. If you like the history of Mount St. Helens like I do, this book is for you!
November 5, 2020
A biography of Harry Truman, owner of Spirit Lake Lodge, who was killed when Mt. Saint Helens in Washington State erupted on May 18, 1980. This book was written by his niece, and tells of his entire life.
February 28, 2022
Shirley Rosen has done a beautiful job of capturing the legendary Harry Truman. Reading it gave me new perpspective on the human experience and condition that few books have done. How the universe works is no clearer to me, but how we live within it does seem a little brighter.
November 5, 2022
A lovely piece of nostalgia and a beautiful way to memorialize a person who was a part of so many peoples lives.
February 12, 2023
Having visited Mt. St. Helens last summer, I spotted this book at the gift store in the visitor center. Harry was a fascinating individual!
May 29, 2025
craziest fella on gods green earth is ol Truman
January 26, 2026
I enjoyed the stories of Truman. The writing was a little juvenile.
November 8, 2017
How is it possible to put down a book that begins with an old man storming out of his cabin in his underwear to scare off a bear? The man who refuses to leave his mountain home became legendary in the Pacific Northwest. Some say Truman was too stubborn to be smart, others felt he was simply dedicated to the wilderness. His niece, Shirley, paints a colorful portrait of her uncle, allowing the reader to decide which is accurate.
August 26, 2013
It was interesting to read about a man who loved his home next to Mount St. Helens so much, that he decided to stay there during the eruption in 1980.
May 31, 2020
I was so wrapped up in the story of Harry Truman that I forgot he was going to die.
He lived a life most only dream of.
He lived a life most only dream of.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews