About Reid Blackburn
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. They climbed it together several times, and referred to it as "the Sleeping Beauty of the Northwest." Blackburn first became interested in the possibility of an eruption at Mount St. Helens was discovered in Blackburn's archives at The Columbian.
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