Reid Blackburn
Encyclopedia
Reid Turner Blackburn was a photographer killed in the 1980 volcanic eruption
of Mount St. Helens
. Blackburn was a photojournalist covering the eruption for a local newspaper—the Vancouver, Washington
Columbian
—as well as National Geographic magazine and the United States Geological Survey
when he was caught at Coldwater Camp in the blast.
Blackburn's car, along with his 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, Reid 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.
for his photographs. Blackburn also authored a book on outboard
hydroplane racing.
Blackburn attended Linfield College
in Oregon. He began working at The Columbian newspaper in 1975 as a photojournalist. It was there that he met his wife, Fay Mall, who worked in the newspaper's display advertising department. The two dated for several months before marrying in the summer of 1979. Blackburn enjoyed hiking and loved the outdoors.
According to coworker and photo editor Steve Small, St. Helens was Blackburn's favorite mountain. They climbed it together several times, and referred to it as "the Sleeping Beauty of the Northwest".
Despite being assigned to stay on the mountain only until May 17, Blackburn opted to stay a few more days. Blackburn was situated near Coldwater Creek, 8 miles (13 km) from the volcano, on the day of the eruption.
Early on May 18, an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale struck the region, creating a massive landslide, 0.6 cubic miles (3 km³) of rock. Pressure on the volcano's crater was released, causing an ejection of steam. Just seconds later, Mount St. Helens erupted laterally (from its side), sending supersonic pyroclastic flow
s (very hot clouds of gas and volcanic ash) into the forest below.
Blackburn was killed when a pyroclastic flow
enveloped the area where he was camped out. His car was found four days later, surrounded up to the windows in ash with his body inside. The windows had been broken and ash filled the interior of the vehicle.
In early June, National Geographic photographer Fred Stocker recovered Blackburn's camera from debris 2.5 foot (0.762 m) thick. The film was not salvageable as the intense heat from the eruption had corrupted the pictures.
The 1980 event was the deadliest and most destructive volcanic eruption in the history of the United States of America. A total of 57 people are known to have died, and more were left homeless when the ash falls and pyroclastic flows destroyed or buried 200 houses. In addition to Reid Blackburn, notable resident Harry Randall Truman and volcanologist David Alexander Johnston
were killed.
The National Press Photographers Association awards a competitive scholarship
annually in Blackburn's honor, worth $2000. In 2005 The Columbian offered an internship to applicants for the scholarship in memory of Blackburn.
1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens
The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, a stratovolcano located in Washington state, in the United States, was a major volcanic eruption. The eruption was the only significant one to occur in the contiguous 48 U.S. states since the 1915 eruption of Lassen Peak in California...
of Mount St. Helens
Mount St. Helens
Mount St. Helens is an active stratovolcano located in Skamania County, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is south of Seattle, Washington and northeast of Portland, Oregon. Mount St. Helens takes its English name from the British diplomat Lord St Helens, a...
. Blackburn was a photojournalist covering the eruption for a local newspaper—the Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
Columbian
The Columbian
The Columbian is a daily newspaper for Vancouver, Washington and Clark County in Washington State in the United States. The paper was published for its first decade as a four page daily that was meant as a counterweight to the local Republican newspaper The Independent. Printer Tom Carolan began...
—as well as National Geographic magazine and the United States Geological Survey
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
when he was caught at Coldwater Camp in the blast.
Blackburn's car, along with his 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, Reid 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.
Life
Blackburn was born in 1952, the son of an engineer who possessed "a fixation on figuring out the way things worked". He loved the idea of photography, once equating it to "painting with light". He was an accomplished photographer, and had received accolades from the Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
for his photographs. Blackburn also authored a book on outboard
Outboard motor
An outboard motor is a propulsion system for boats, consisting of a self-contained unit that includes engine, gearbox and propeller or jet drive, designed to be affixed to the outside of the transom and are the most common motorized method of propelling small watercraft...
hydroplane racing.
Blackburn attended Linfield College
Linfield College
Linfield College is an American private institution of higher learning located in McMinnville, Oregon, United States. As a four-year, undergraduate, liberal arts and sciences college with a campus in Portland, Oregon, it also has an adult degree program located in eight communities throughout the...
in Oregon. He began working at The Columbian newspaper in 1975 as a photojournalist. It was there that he met his wife, Fay Mall, who worked in the newspaper's display advertising department. The two dated for several months before marrying in the summer of 1979. Blackburn enjoyed hiking and loved the outdoors.
According to coworker and photo editor Steve Small, St. Helens was Blackburn's favorite mountain. They climbed it together several times, and referred to it as "the Sleeping Beauty of the Northwest".
Death
Blackburn first became interested in the possibility of an eruption at Mount St. Helens in March 1980, when a series of earthquakes rocked the volcano. Having already climbed the mountain, he was intrigued by the situation and was eventually assigned to document the activity of the volcano for his outdoor skills and his meticulousness. By May he had begun camping out at the volcano as a joint project to take pictures of the volcanic phenomena for The Columbian, National Geographic, and the United States Geological Survey.Early on May 18, an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale struck the region, creating a massive landslide, 0.6 cubic miles (3 km³) of rock. Pressure on the volcano's crater was released, causing an ejection of steam. Just seconds later, Mount St. Helens erupted laterally (from its side), sending supersonic pyroclastic flow
Pyroclastic flow
A pyroclastic flow is a fast-moving current of superheated gas and rock , which reaches speeds moving away from a volcano of up to 700 km/h . The flows normally hug the ground and travel downhill, or spread laterally under gravity...
s (very hot clouds of gas and volcanic ash) into the forest below.
Blackburn was killed when a pyroclastic flow
Pyroclastic flow
A pyroclastic flow is a fast-moving current of superheated gas and rock , which reaches speeds moving away from a volcano of up to 700 km/h . The flows normally hug the ground and travel downhill, or spread laterally under gravity...
enveloped the area where he was camped out. His car was found four days later, surrounded up to the windows in ash with his body inside. The windows had been broken and ash filled the interior of the vehicle.
In early June, National Geographic photographer Fred Stocker recovered Blackburn's camera from debris 2.5 foot (0.762 m) thick. The film was not salvageable as the intense heat from the eruption had corrupted the pictures.
The 1980 event was the deadliest and most destructive volcanic eruption in the history of the United States of America. A total of 57 people are known to have died, and more were left homeless when the ash falls and pyroclastic flows destroyed or buried 200 houses. In addition to Reid Blackburn, notable resident Harry Randall Truman and volcanologist David Alexander Johnston
David A. Johnston
David Alexander Johnston was an American volcanologist with the United States Geological Survey who was killed by the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington. One of the principal scientists on the monitoring team, Johnston died while manning an observation post about 6 miles from the...
were killed.
Legacy
After his death, friends and coworkers of Blackburn came forward to compliment his pleasant character and his talent. Friends described Blackburn as having "an impishness his friends came to expect." Coworker Mike Prager called Reid "one of the funniest and most talented journalists in the Pacific Northwest" who "made his job look easy, he was that good." Tom Koenninger, editor of The Columbian, described Blackburn's humor as "wry" and sometimes "acerbic", but elaborated that Blackburn was "gentle, displaying aggression when it was necessary for him to get close to a subject he was photographing." Commenting on her husband's dedication to photography, Fay Blackburn remarked, "if Reid were alive today, he'd probably be back on the front line seeking to capture the latest chapter in the mountain's evolution, in spite of the risk." "Reid loved that mountain. He climbed it, hiked it, skied it." She added that he died doing what he loved.The National Press Photographers Association awards a competitive scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
annually in Blackburn's honor, worth $2000. In 2005 The Columbian offered an internship to applicants for the scholarship in memory of Blackburn.