Mount St. Helens Interpretive Center reopens

The renovation of the Washington Parks Mount St. Helens Interpretive Center is complete and now open. On Friday, May 30, 2025, visitors were welcomed by State Parks Commissioner Holly Williams and elders of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe including Councilman Mike Iyall, who was there on behalf of Chairman Bill Iyall.

Flags from the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, Washington State Parks, and the United States were raised before the ribbon cutting ceremony. Cowlitz Indian Tribe Elder and Spiritual Leader Tanna Engdahl said, "Southwest Washington is the ancestral home of the Cowlitz Indian people and we have been here since time immemorial. We Cowlitz have enjoyed a strengthened bond with the Washington State Parks in observance of our long history and relationship with our sacred mountain. Our presence here and our presence throughout southwest Washington has been acknowledged by the persistence and resilience of the Cowlitz people to reclaim its history."

The Cowlitz Drum Group called in the ancestors, the energy, and the prayers of the [Cowlitz] people. State Parks Commissioner Holly Williams, thanked the Cowlitz Indian Tribe for their partnership and guidance on the project, saying, "With your wisdom, we are creating a foundation to better teach our visitors about how we are all connected to the land and how we can care for it."

The Washington State Parks and Parks Exhibit Program Specialist Sam Wotipka recognized the importance of the Cowlitz participation in the exhibits and has been working with the Cowlitz Indian Tribe for the past several years. Wotipka thanked the United States Geological Survey (USGS) for donating some of the artifacts which included a wall map by Cartographer Dan Coe. Multiple Cowlitz Indian artists also contributed murals, three carved paddles, a hand carved canoe (which will be completed in a few months) and a very old basket. Cowlitz Indian Tribe elder Suzanne Donaldson [Bald Eagle Woman] thanked Sam Woptikas' team for "listening and respcting us [Cowlitz Indian Tribe]." Donaldson went on to say that "they allowed us all the time we needed to get things right and we hope this woud be a model for folks to use all over the U.S, - that is, working with the people whose land they now sit on. We hope that this is just one of many projects along the way." Donaldson also gave a shout out to Teri Wright who worked on a replica of a cedar-woven hat donated to the exhibit.

The Washington Parks Mount St. Helens Interpretive Center is located at 3029 Spirit Lake Hwy. in Castle Rock, Wash. During the summer, the center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fees for the center are $5 for ages 18 and older, $15 for a family (two adults plus accompanying children), $2.50 for ages 7 to 17, and free for ages 6 and under. The fee for tour groups is $200 per bus. For more info, call 360-274-0962 or email silver.lake@parks.wa.gov.