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Lassen Volcanic National Park To Celebrate Eruption Centennial

After shooting impressive columns of steam skyward for nearly a year, a major eruption 100 years ago Friday shattered Lassen Peak’s 27,000 years of slumber.

The eruption sent a plume 30,000 feet in the air, that witnesses reported seeing 150 miles away in Eureka. Volcanic ash rained down on Winnemucca, 200 miles to the east. A pyroclastic flow of pumice, gases and debris augmented by melted snow thundered into nearby mountain valleys. Steve Zachary is an Education Specialist with Lassen Volcanic National Park.

“There was property damage of course, that mud flow went on down into the Hat Creek valley and devastated buildings, outbuildings, pastures and areas that ranchers had, but it didn’t kill anyone.”

News of the event provided the nation a distraction from the bloodletting of trench warfare and hastened the designation of part of Lassen National Forest into Lassen National Park the following year.

The park hosts a series of special events continuing through the holiday weekend — from lectures by U.S. Geological Survey volcanologists and ranger-led walks through geothermal sites, to commemorations of the eruption...

“we’ve got a lot of exciting things going on, we invite the public to come up and enjoy their national park.”

The park’s Manzanita Lake and Southwest Walk-in campgrounds, along with the Kohm-Yah-Mah-nee Visitor’s Center and Loomis Museum will all be open this weekend. Detailed information on the weekend’s events may be found on the park’s website.