Castle Creek (Washington)

Reid Turner Blackburn (August 11, 1952 – May 18, 1980) was an American photographer killed in the 1980 volcanic eruption of Mount St. Helens. A photojournalist covering the eruption for a local newspaper—the Vancouver, Washington The Columbian—as well as National Geographic magazine and the United States Geological Survey, he was caught at Coldwater Camp in the blast. Blackburn's car and body were found four days after the eruption. His camera, buried under the debris of the eruption, was found roughly one week later. After his death, Blackburn was praised by his coworkers and friends alike. They spoke of his talent and enthusiasm, as well as his sometimes "acerbic" sense of humor. His wife, Fay, concluded that he had died doing what he loved.

Castle Peak is a 4,621-foot-elevation (1,408-meter) mountain summit in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States.

Castle Lake is a barrier lake formed by the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, when an avalanche dammed the South Fork of Castle Creek. The lake covers just slightly more than 1 square kilometer (0.39 sq mi). In 1981 a spillway was constructed to alleviate concerns about sudden erosion. The lake is difficult to access, but trails have been built to it and recreational fishing is allowed.

Coldwater Lake is a barrier lake on the border of Cowlitz County and Skamania County, Washington in the United States. The lake was created during the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, which blocked its natural outlet, Coldwater Creek, with volcanic debris. It is one of several lakes in the area that were created or otherwise enlarged by the eruption.

David Alexander Johnston (December 18, 1949 – May 18, 1980) was an American United States Geological Survey (USGS) volcanologist who was killed by the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in the U.S. state of Washington. A principal scientist on the USGS monitoring team, Johnston was killed in the eruption while manning an observation post six miles (10 km) away on the morning of May 18, 1980. He was the first to report the eruption, transmitting "Vancouver! Vancouver! This is it!" before he was swept away by a lateral blast; despite a thorough search, Johnston's body was never found, but state highway workers discovered remnants of his USGS trailer in 1993. Johnston's career took him across the United States, where he studied the Augustine Volcano in Alaska, the San Juan volcanic field in Colorado, and long-extinct volcanoes in Michigan. Johnston was a meticulous and talented scientist, known for his analyses of volcanic gases and their relationship to eruptions. This, along with his enthusiasm and positive attitude, made him liked and respected by many co-workers. After his death, other scientists lauded his character, both verbally and in dedications and letters. Johnston felt scientists must do what is necessary, including taking risks, to help protect the public from natural disasters. His work, and that of fellow USGS scientists, convinced authorities to close Mount St. Helens to the public before the 1980 eruption. They maintained the closure despite heavy pressure to re-open the area; their work saved thousands of lives. His story became intertwined with the popular image of volcanic eruptions and their threat to society, and a part of volcanology's history. To date, Johnston, along with his mentee Harry Glicken, is one of two American volcanologists known to have died in a volcanic eruption. Following his death, Johnston was commemorated in several ways, including a memorial fund established in his name at the University of Washington to fund graduate-level research. Two volcano observatories were established and named after him: one in Vancouver, Washington, and another on the ridge where he died. Johnston's life and death are featured in several documentaries, films, docudramas and books. A biography of his life, A Hero on Mount St. Helens: The Life and Legacy of David A. Johnston, was published in 2019.

Nesika was an unincorporated town in Lewis County, Washington, southeast of Mossyrock. It is now a flooded town.

Cougar is an unincorporated community and former town in Cowlitz County, Washington. Cougar is located around 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Woodland along Washington State Route 503 and situated along the northwest bank of Yale Lake, a reservoir on the Lewis River. The population of Cougar was 122 at the 1990 Census, when it was still incorporated as a town, but disincorporated before the 2000 Census. As of 2023, the population is 83. The Cougar community is part of the Woodland School District, a K-12 school district of about 2,200 students. Cougar is the nearest community to Mount St. Helens, which lies 13 miles (20.9215 km) to its northeast. The eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980 was the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in the history of the United States. A post office called Cougar was established in 1902. The community was named after the cougar which were abundant in the area at that time.

Kosmos (CAUSE-muss) was an unincorporated community in Lewis County, Washington, southwest of Glenoma and is now considered a flooded town. Kosmos is named from a Greek term meaning "the world or universe as an embodiment of order and harmony".

Swofford, also known as Swofford Valley, is an unincorporated community in central Lewis County, in the U.S. state of Washington. The town sits on the south shore of Riffe Lake, approximately 4.0 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Mossyrock.

Cowlitz Falls Dam is a 70 megawatt hydroelectric dam in Lewis County, Washington. It was constructed in the early 1990s and completed in 1994. The dam is 140 feet (43 m) high and 700 feet (210 m) wide.Its reservoir, Lake Scanewa, is located at the confluence of the Cowlitz River and Cispus River downstream of Randle, Washington with a surface area of about 700 acres. The Cowlitz Falls Project impounds the Cowlitz River and produces on average 260 gigawatt hours annually for the local public utility, the Lewis County Public Utility District, or about one-third of its annual electrical needs. The facility was developed jointly with the Bonneville Power Administration, and the BPA bears the direct cost of operating and maintaining the dam.

Glenoma is an unincorporated community in Lewis County located off U.S. Route 12, between the towns of Morton and Randle. The area is northeast of Riffe Lake.

The Cispus River is about 54 miles (87 km) long and flows into the Cowlitz River at Lake Scanewa in the Cascade Range of Washington. Its tributaries drain most of south-central and southeastern Lewis County, extreme northeast Skamania County, and some of western Yakima County. Its main stem begins in Lewis County in a high, glacial valley to the north of Snowgrass Flats in the Goat Rocks Wilderness, located on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. From here the river flows in a southwesterly direction and takes on the waters of several important headwater tributaries such as Walupt Creek. About 40 miles (64 km) from its mouth, the Cispus River receives Muddy Fork from the left. Muddy Fork starts 7 miles (11 km) from this junction, at Mount Adams' Lava Glacier and is named for the glacial debris and silt in the water which give the river a muddy appearance. The Cispus River flows through a heavily forested valley, much of the forest regrown after the Cispus Burn, which occurred the first decade of the 20th century and consumed most of the lower drainage. The rushing Canyon Creek enters the river originating high on the slopes of Mount Adams. A few miles down the North Fork Cispus enters the main branch about 20 miles (32 km) from its start. From here on, the Cispus River flows westerly, passing campgrounds and trails in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Two tributaries, Yellowjacket and McCoy Creeks, flow into the river from the south about midway though its course. Beyond here, the river passes beneath Tower Rock, a prominent quartz diorite monolith on the south side of the river. Soon after this the river leaves the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and enters the Weyerhaeuser Cowlitz Tree Farm. The Cispus River ends its course entering the Cowlitz River at Lake Scanewa, just upstream from Cowlitz Falls and Riffe Lake. There is a stream flow monitoring station on the river which sends its data live to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Whitewater rafting also takes place on the Cispus River.