In this interview, conducted by Linda S. Dodds on June 20, 1980, James P. Langdon (born 1906) disucsses his family background and early life in Portland, Oregon, and talks about his early interest in forestry. He discusses his work as a landscape architect and recreation planner for the Civilian Conservation Corps in the Spirit Lake area, north of Mount St. Helens, and later as a ranger in the same area. He talks about building campgrounds, about managing huckleberry growth, and about other recreational facilities managed by the U.S. Forest Service on the mountain. He describes the flora and fauna in the Mount St. Helens area, discusses the history of mining on the mountain, and talks about Harry Truman, who lived on the mountain and died in the 1980 eruption. He also talks about several other people who lived and worked on the mountain. He shares the origins of the legend of “Hairy Apes,” cryptids rumored to live around Spirit Lake. He closes the interview by talking about his experience as a U.S. Forest Service ranger on Mount St. Helens during World War II.